Flower Shop Adventures
by ElizabethPage
Summary: When a snitch in possession of dangerous Intel vanishes from an international terrorist group, the Kingsmen must race to find her. Of all places, Eggsy finds the ex-terrorist in London working in a flower shop. Merlin assigns Galahad the mission of gaining her trust, but the more Eggsy sees of the flower girl, the less he believes she is who the Kingsmen assume her to be.
1. Flower shop adventures

**Hello, friends! Thanks for finding your way to my story! I hope it isn't as awful as I fear it is, but who cares if it is? I've had a blast writing this so I hope you enjoy reading it. This is the first story I've posted on FanFiction, so it would mean a lot to me if you would leave constructive criticism for me, and I'll ask you to bear with me! So, here is the first chapter…**

 **(I do not own Kingsmen)**

Elaine was not the type of person to run from things.

Well, she didn't enjoy running in any situation; unless it was towards a couture dress. But couture dress or no, Elaine stood by her belief that she was able to face obstacles head-on.

It was the morning of another fall day on Columbia Street. Ms. Muffy's flower shop display had already been set up once Elaine arrived, so there was nothing else to do but sit behind the makeshift counter and wait for customers. Thrumming her uneven nails on the counter, she dropped her chin into her hand and hummed.

Mr. Harkley gave his usual greeting to which Elaine returned as he made his way to his own stall. As it was early, the other sellers were still putting themselves together and the occasional commuter would walk through the street to browse. Shivering, she stuffed her hands deeper into the pockets of her grass-stained overalls and surveyed the terracotta pots of flowers in front of her.

Sitting idle behind the table on Columbia street was the clean part, Elaine simply stood, sold flowers, and arranged the flowers as much as she could. It was her time in the old greenhouse that left grass stains in her overalls, and she had worn these overalls to the greenhouse on more than one occasion.

Elaine had sewn them herself, so she reasoned there was no point in trying to keep them nice. Though they had been quite the challenge as Elaine usually dealt with the soft fabric of flowing dresses; not denim. But she liked to consider herself a somewhat accomplished seamstress. So there she stood in her overalls embroidered with daisies and tulips in the frigid London morning.

The crisp air reminded her of her jacket that hung beside her front door. The door that led to her cramped apartment she managed to get after she left Minneapolis.

Left; not ran.

Bouncing on her toes and surveying the people moseying by, Elaine spotted a man wearing a suit across the street, carrying a plain black umbrella.

"Hey! Mr. Gentleman!" Elaine jumped up and called from across Columbia street, nearly knocking her stool over. The dark blonde gentleman in the bold glasses and crisp Saville Row suit turned at the sound of her call.

It had rained the night before so the pavement was slick, the iron sky overcast but somehow, as he was making his way over to her, the rainy weather made him all the more attractive. But Elaine was choosing to ignore that effect; as always.

"Good morning," He greeted with a wink. He took a moment to study her flowers before leaning towards her. "What d'ya have today?"

"One of my favorites." Elaine caressed the flowers beside her. "Gladiolus."

"Dare I ask why or do I have to clear my schedule?" He teased, both hands resting on the umbrella he always carried. He was attractive and had impeccable posture so Elaine let him tease, what with that lopsided grin and blonde hair combed neatly back.

"Cheeky." She said, returning his sly smile. "First, they're pretty. Second, Gladius in Latin means sword. It's delicate and beautiful but is also strong and fierce. Like people." Elaine turned one bouquet so the fullest flowers faced outward. "It's also the flower of my birth month."

She brushed a strawberry strand of hair behind her ear, wishing she had brought a tie. And a jacket. Meanwhile, the nameless man in front of her plucked a sword from a bushel.

"Where's JB?" She may not know his name, but she knew his dog's name.

"At a friend's."

"Right! Your trip. How was that?" She asked, managing to hide a shiver by rearranging a pot in front of her. The last time she had seen him and his furry friend was Friday of last week. He had said something about going East.

Elaine turned her back for a second only to turn back to see him holding out his jacket.

"What? No!" Elaine gawked. "It'll get ruined." She crossed her arms.

"If you believe anything in this world, believe that I can get a bit of dirt out of this jacket. It has seen worse days, trust me." He said, offering her his pristine jacket. Elaine wondered what type of worse days a man in a suit could have.

She gave him a pointed look.

"My trip was fine. Always nice to get away from work for a few days." He flashed her a smile, but Elaine always felt he was talking in subtext to her.

Just as he said that a gust of frigid air rushed through the street. Elaine had no chance of hiding her shiver now.

"Jus' take the bloody jacket, love." He chided.

"Are you going to buy flowers or not?" Elaine bit back.

He gave her a look that made Elaine suspect that he was rolling his eyes mentally.

"I'll take a bouquet of swords." He decided, tucking his jacket under his arm.

"For Rosy?" Leaning over the soil peppered table between them. Nosiness was a trait she couldn't subdue, especially in manners of the heart. She had met Rosy a while ago and Elaine could see them as the perfect couple; both striding down the streets of powerful cities with their expensive, pressed suits, matching glasses and chiseled jaws.

"Roxy. And no, we've had this talk, Elaine." He feigned seriousness, but his sly smile gave him away.

Rolling her eyes, Elaine tied together a bouquet of the purple flowers and put his money in the register.

"How come you know my name, and I somehow only know the name of your dog and girlfri- excuse me- _ladyfriend_." Elaine accused. "We've known each other long enough and I don't think I can trust you anymore, Mr. Gentleman."

He smirked.

"I like being mysterious." He said, bringing his umbrella up and setting it on his shoulder as he made a funny face. "In fact, mystery is my middle name."

Elaine rolled her eyes and failed to hide her smile.

"Mmmkay. Well, Mr. Gentlemen Mystery Man, I don't know when we'll have these again so enjoy them before they wilt."

He agreed, bringing his umbrella down again before giving his usual farewell. And then he turned and went on his way.

"Just so you know, it's a new policy that every customer needs to introduce themselves so don't bother coming back without a name tag." She called out before he was too far away. "You may need to find a new flower vendor."

He turned and gave her a handsome, toothy smile.

"Like that will bloody well happen!"

Elaine laughed as she attempted to send him a glare. Once he turned again to walk away she shouted again.

"I hope Roxy enjoys the flowers!"

"Goodbye, Elaine!" He called back with a wave farther down the street.

Once he had gone, Elaine noticed too late that his jacket sat neatly folded on the table with one flower set on top.

Giving a heavy sigh, Elaine could stop her heart from fluttering as she picked up the jacket and slid her arms in. It was much too big for her, but warmth encased her and the cold fall breeze no longer bothered her.

* * *

"Here." Eggsy sat the Gladiolus bouquet in front of Roxy.

"What is this?" She raised an eyebrow. "I swear if you're confessing your love I'll shoot you."

The conference room was long and overhung with a high ceiling with walls adorned with old portraits of previous Kingsmen. Eggsy personally thought the green floral walls between oak doors was a tad out of taste, but as the gentleman, he was slowly turning into; very, very slowly, he never spoke up about it.

"I walked through Columbia street to get to work and I thought these could spruce up the old place a bit." Eggsy said, settling into a sturdy chair beside her as the other Kingsmen filed into the room.

"Just casually walking through the other side of London that's 40 minutes out of your way for flowers," Roxy scoffed. "Sure. And the uniform usually includes a jacket."

Eggsy remembered that he had left his with Elaine. He wished he would have been able to see her wearing his jacket over those adorably embroidered overalls.

"I was a bit warm today. And they have nice flowers and it just so happens that I was already in that part of town," Eggsy defended.

"And I'm sure the pretty ginger flower girl had nothing to do with it. You know, for a professional spy, you're a terrible liar."

Eggsy grumbled as one of the entering Kingsmen distributed tablets.

"Does she still think we're together?" Roxy whispered.

Most of the agents were present and the conference was started soon.

"Of course," Eggsy whispered back.

The clock struck nine and Merlin commenced the meeting. The long table running down the room was sparse of Kingsmen as Valentine's attack had yet to be fully amended. The elite Secret Service had yet to replace Degore, Bors, Tristan, Brunner, and Hector, leaving only the six remaining Kingsmen in their wake. Bedivere had fallen in last year's attack but had fully trained in his replacement before the unfortunate events.

Sitting at one end of the table, Eggsy surveyed the surviving Kingsmen, both thinking of his own recruitment and the need to hunt down his own, He didn't even know where to start. Roxy sat next to him, her hair pulled back into a tight bun with Percival next to her, then Kay to the other side of the table with Gawain and Bedivere.

Eggsy had worked with Kay and Gawain closely this past year and he knew Roxy and Percival quite well, but Bedivere was the most distant agent. The previous Bedivere did a shining job of training the present Bedivere because the current namesake of the Medieval knight sat poised in his chair listening to Merlin like a statue.

Eggsy didn't trust him.

"Our next matter is that of Ms. Daniella," Merlin brought up a surveillance photo of a girl, no older than early 20's wrapped up in a heavy black coat and a scarf in a cold, frozen city. If he had to guess, the architecture and weather placed the girl somewhere in Russia. The photograph was taken from across the icy street. The sky was an iron grey.

She looked into the distance, her eyes hollow, face shallow.

"We have little intel on Ms. Daniella and even less on the organization she is tied up in. As you are all aware, Callisto is the terrorist organization responsible for the numerous attacks throughout Europe including isolated bombings in Beijing, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, and New York. Fortunately, while they have proven impossible to infiltrate, Ms. Daniella warned us of the attempted bombings in both Milan and Kiev as well as identifying several key influential members of Callisto."

As Merlin listed off the infected corporations and exposed players of international terrorism, Eggsy stared at the picture. The girl buried deep in the dark wool in the cold maze of the nameless city reminded him of someone. He just didn't know who.

"Is she in protective custody?" Eggsy spoke once there was a break in Merlin's speech.

"No. We received the information in the form of an anonymous tip. We traced the tip to Ms. Daniella and Bedivere made contact with her, though she made it clear she wanted to stay where she was."

"Unfortunately," Bedivere mumbled.

From the opposite end of the table, Eggsy could see the regret hiding in the corners of his eyes, though he feigned composure.

"Unfortunate, indeed," Merlin said, looking back at the surveillance photo. "Three months ago, Ms. Daniella disappeared. There are no traces of her that we can find, however, we are certain that Callisto is not behind her absence." Merlin brought up another surveillance photo, this one of a tall, shaggy man in a beige pinstripe suit with an obnoxious know-it-all smirk.

"Ms. Daniella was married to Devron. We've long suspected the illusionist of having ties to Callisto but these suspicions were confirmed by both Bedivere and Evie. A month after her disappearance, Devron posted an order that his wife be brought back to him. In any condition. We have seen glimpses of Devron's superior, but much is still in the shadows."

Merlin brought up another photo, this one grainy and pixelated of a partial figure stepping into a building.

"Can you flip back to the photo of Evie?" Eggsy asked.

Merlin did, continuing to assign missions to the six Kinsmen in the room. First Percival, then Bedivere, Lancelot, Kay, and Gawain, but Eggsy wasn't focused on the sorted missions but on the girl in the snowy streets. She looked so cold and isolated. He knew her. He had seen her, spoken to her, but Eggsy couldn't figure it out. It was something about her hair or her nose or that dark freckle just below her left eye.

"Galahad, are you listening?" Merlin snapped.

It wasn't until he imagined the snowy streets melting away in place of bushels of flowers and broken pots and dirt peppered endearingly over rosy cheeks that Eggsy realized that he was looking at Elaine. The cold, lost girl staring through the frigid Russian city was the flower girl on Columbia street.

"Feckin' A!" Eggsy cursed.

Bedivere raised an eyebrow the exact moment Merlin snapped his head towards Eggsy. Roxy kicked his shin.

"Something to add, Galahad?" Merlin asked.

"Who does tha' look like?" Eggsy asked Roxy.

"Eg-Galahad, this isn't professional," Roxy reprimanded under her breath.

Merlin agreed.

"No, jus' look."

Roxy sighed, turning to the photograph. Merlin mumbled something about the disintegration of cultural articulation in millennial knights as Eggsy waited and watched the realization dawn in his fellow Kingswoman's eyes.

"The flower girl?" Roxy asked incredulously.

"Yeah, Elaine." Eggsy said. "Merlin, she's here, in London. Evie Daniella. She goes under the name Elaine and she jus' moved to London three months ago. She has a different haircut an' her hair is reddish instead of blonde, but I bet my life it's her."

In a rare moment, Eggsy saw Merlin astounded, as were the other Kingsmen. Especially, Eggsy noticed, Bedivere.

* * *

"Are you certain, Galahad?"

"I've met her as well, Merlin, it's definitely her," Roxy spoke up.

Merlin nodded.

The room had emptied since the revelation as both Percival and Gawain had urgent matters abroad and Bedivere was looking through local surveillance.

"What is her story?"

Glasses on, Eggsy flipped through the pages of intel on Callisto and the other documents on Devron, Evie, and the fractions of glimpses they caught of the players. He looked back up at Merlin.

"She moved from Minneapolis three months ago. Wouldn't tell me why, but it was apparent she was hidin' something," Eggsy said.

Bedivere reappeared, carrying a snapshot of what Eggsy assumed to be Elaine. Or rather Evie.

"Facial recognition confirms it's her." He seated himself at the opposite side of Eggsy.

"Galahad, this is your mission now. We need more intel from Ms. Daniella and her safety is in the crosshairs. Bedivere, you are to steer clear of the asset. No need to scare her off. If worse comes to worst, we'll take her under our custody but I want her to willingly give information. She has before."

All Kingsmen agreed.

* * *

After the meeting, Eggsy left straight for the shooting range. Firing off a few rounds, he took off his headgear to reload.

"You're going to wrinkle your suit," Roxy said, approaching the stall beside him.

"Like it hasn't been through worse," He filled the rounds.

"What's bothering you?" Roxy asked before she fired her own rounds.

"This whole bloody thing. You've met Elaine-"

"Once," she said, setting her gun on top of the counter.

"Yeah, but you know how happy she is. All those flowers, her smile. The girl in the photo wasn't her. All dull and cold."

"That's probably why she ran," Roxy said between shots.

"To a flower boutique? In the middle of London? I dunno. Somethin' jus' doesn't add up." He said.

Roxy scoffed and leaned against the wall beside him.

"Eggsy, you were the one that recognized her. Why are you second guessing the facts?"

He lowered his gun to think. Elaine's long, strawberry hair and easy smile flashed in his mind. Her bright eyes were incomparable to those of the stark blonde in the cold photograph. Unable to respond, Eggsy turned back to the cutouts backed against the far wall and emptied everything he had.

"She works Sunday evenings, I may be able to catch her tomorrow."

Roxy nodded, focusing on her own rounds.

* * *

To _Lioni Williams_ : Thanks! Sorry for deleting and then reposting, I just needed to make some major rewrites, which I believe make the story more comprehensible. Thank you for sticking around!

To _Kaayrakoi_ : I'm glad you like the start! Let's hope I can follow through! I am also hoping the fandom will pick up again, but I also kind of enjoy small fandoms.

To _Guest:_ Woot! I'm glad you like it!

To _EviColt_ : Thank you! I love to get constructive criticisms as you've given me and I've fixed what you've pointed out. I'll warmly welcome any more that you have!

To _Harleyquinn87_ : I'm glad you found my story and I hope it keeps your attention!


	2. Coffee, rain, and couture gowns

**Man, oh, man so I have dramatic plans for this story! Bear with me because the beginning isn't going to be filled with espionage and sudden death, but I promise you there will be espionage and death. I PROMISE YOU! Please review, I would love to hear what you are thinking! Even the reviews that aren't too sugary will help me. So, without further ado… here is chapter 2.**

"A storm is coming," Louise said, helping Elaine carry the remaining potted plants into the rusted pickup.

Elaine stooped down to set down a particularly heavy pot and looked up at the grey sky. There was the moist smell of rain settling around them and Elaine brushed off her dirty hands before checking her watch.

She'd be lucky to make it home before the rain started. And knowing the current temperature forecast, it would be a freezing rain, too.

Elaine sighed and picked up the full pot at her feet and heaved it up into the rusty pickup truck.

"You know," Elaine said. "I've always preferred snow, though rain is amazing. But snow doesn't soak through my clothes immediately."

Louise laughed and made a defense of rain that Elaine shrugged off. Elaine's boss was at the older end of middle-aged with unruly black hair and a warm voice that crackled like embers and a warm disposition to match her ember voice. Her hands were cracked from work and she wore those green muddy galoshes she never left the house without.

The metal bed of the pickup clanged as Louise dropped a large pot in.

"Why don't you head out?" Louise said.

Before Elaine could refuse, she started again.

"I've got my Donnie here, so go on."

"If you say so," Elaine said, stepping away from the truck and pulling her sweaty hands out of the gardening gloves.

They had been working in the greenhouses outside of London and the way home was a bit of a hike for Elaine. So she accepted Louise's early release and said goodbye to both her and her son. Donnie shot her a funny face and an order not to get caught in the storm.

The greenhouse wasn't exactly in the countryside, but it was still at the borders of London so the transportation was sparse and far away. But Elaine didn't mind. It was nice to get away from the bulk of the city and enjoy a leisurely stroll to the train.

As the train sped into the heart of the city, Elaine took the time to rest her head back on the hazy window and watch the buildings slip past her. The later lull of the day settled in, so there were only a handful of passengers.

Elaine sketched a new dress in her mind; it was vintage and blue, perhaps velvet and tight with a lilac pin on the front panel. Elaine memorized her new, imagined pattern and waited for the ride to end.

* * *

Walking the same route she always took that perpetually led her to _Vafara Tulle_ \- _Couture Wedding Gown_.

It was cold and the sky looked ready to spill its weight, but nonetheless, Elaine stopped to sigh in admiration. Each gown in the window was a work of meticulous craftsmanship. Aspiring to be the creator of such a piece, Elaine studied each displayed dress with absolute intent- each stitch was vital and each layer of tulle in the skirts wisped Elaine's memories to a place of the past where her mother would sew in the early mornings of her childhood. The beading and the lace and the snowy veils created a future in front of her of gowns upon gowns with soft silk and creme kitten-heel shoes.

There was nothing as close to perfection as a well-constructed dress. Nothing.

"The door opens, you know."

Elaine jumped.

Turning, she faced a pretty woman in a tailored blouse and pencil skirt sipping a latte. She appeared to be amused and Elaine blushed as she realized she had been noticed the mornings she stopped to drool over their merchandise.

"Come on," She said, walking in and holding the door open for Elaine.

After a moment of hesitation, Elaine followed and walked into the shop like it was a dream. There was pastel tulle hung throughout the shop and vases with roses and dresses more beautiful than Elaine could fathom draped over elegant mannequins.

"I'm Stacia," the woman said.

"Elaine."

Stacia brushed back her long brunette hair as she took the final sip of her latte. Elaine noticed she wore heels despite already being tall.

"Are you engaged?" She asked, a warm smile inviting Elaine to step further into the shop.

"No, no. Definitely not."

"Well, you're here for something. It's a rare day when I don't see you admiring the gowns out front."

"Oh, well… I actually want to go into couture wedding gowns." Elaine confessed as she studied a mermaid silhouette dress. "I discovered Vafara Tulle's work sophomore year of college and I've been in love ever since."

"Really?" Stacia said, leaning against the front counter. A crystal lamp spun slowly, casting sparkling glimmers across the counter Stacia was standing behind.

Elaine shook herself and stepped closer.

"Mmh. I studied textiles and worked in costume design for a bit. And…" Elaine held back a laugh, "I actually made my own high school prom dress senior year."

Stacia leaned over the counter towards her.

"Impressive. Where are you working now?"

"Muffy's flower shop. On Columbia street."

"What are you doing over there?" Stacia reprimanded with a laugh. "You should pop over here and work for us. We have an opening, you know. And even if the boss won't admit it, we are a bit desperate for an extra hand."

"Really!?" Elaine blushed as she realized she'd nearly shouted.

"Sure," Stacia laughed. "Mrs. Tulle is actually in today."

Elaine stepped back an inch.

" _The_ Mrs. Tulle? Vafara Tulle is here?" Elaine gawked.

"Where else would she be?" Stacia mused. "Give me a moment and I'll get her."

With that, the sleek attendant turned on her Louis Vuitton heel and disappeared behind the silk curtain. For a moment, Elaine's heart soared until she realized she had nothing to show except an old, smeared sketchbook that was only for the minimalist of designs. To add to that, she was covered in dirt.

Vafara Tulle's wedding gowns was Elaine's dream job. It was a fantasy to even stand in her shop and the prospect of actually working for her was too much; especially in the unprepared state she was in.

Before Stacia could bring back the lead designer, Elaine turned on her heel and left. Hesitating, Elaine looked back once she was a block away.

"No, I'm not prepared." She said to herself. "I'll come back tomorrow, though."

So she kept walking and of course, it started to pour as soon as she rounded the corner. Rushing down a block, she managed to make it to a cafe as the shower had turned to pellets of freezing rain. Deciding that there were worse places to wait out a storm, Elaine sat down, shed her jacket, shook her hair, and ordered tea. Slowly, her hair dried and her clothes lost their uncomfortable dampness as she hoped her recent action didn't cost her the job of her dreams.

Fortunately, she had brought her sketchbook and good pens to work that morning so as she waited out the tempest, her pen traveled across the page. A long winter dress came alive on the page; pink to remind her of spring. The dress was simple, but elegant and potentially something to show to a designer like Tulle.

"At least I have somewhat of a portfolio," Elaine mumbled.

It was now 7:45 in the evening and Elaine was on her 3rd cup of peppermint tea. Sitting by the scratched and hazy window, she watched the dimming city light coil around the ankles of soggy pedestrians as she sketched; their shoulders misted by little crystal droplets. She didn't mind the time to herself. Shading the contours of her sketch, Elaine burrowed deeper into her knit sweater and contemplated a fourth cup of tea.

Her pen pausing on the page, Elaine watched the pavement of the damp streets reflect the light of cars whizzing past. It reminded her of Minneapolis. Suddenly, the memories of days before the catastrophe swirled in her mind, before that one evening that had nearly knocked Elaine permanently off balance and severed ties with her sister.

One mistake. It had been months since that day and Elaine could still see the betrayal burning in her sister's eyes.

"Mind if I join you?"

Elaine was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice someone else enter from the storm. Breaking away from her inner turmoil, Elaine looked up to see the nameless man that so often stopped by the flower stall. He carried a dripping black umbrella while wearing a soggy, yet somehow crisp tweed suit and Elaine couldn't help but notice how rain-soaked hair suited him. And as usual, he wore what Elaine now considered his signature glasses.

"Only if you tell me your name." She said once the surprise faded.

"Alright." He promptly sat down.

The barista brought him coffee as he shrugged off his soaked jacket.

"Alright? That's all?" Elaine scoffed, "I was expecting a fight. We've known each other for months and you've fought tooth and nail to give up your name. I was beginning to think you were a spy."

He smirked into his coffee before taking a sip.

"Ooh, I'm learning Mr. Gentlemen man's name." Elaine sang. "How exciting!"

He took another sip before speaking.

"Eggsy."

Elaine stared at him for a moment. Truthfully, she was waiting for the punchline.

"No, seriously, what's your name?" She chided.

"Gary's my real name but friends call me Eggsy." He said with a smile as the steam from his coffee curled up and dissipated.

"Really? I was expecting Richard or Robert." Elaine tsked. "You spent months and months building the suspense." She said with a teasing smile as she contemplated the man sitting across from her. "Eggsy. It has charm."

"As does Elaine." Eggsy offered.

"If you say so."

They sat sipping their drinks for a moment. The other couple sitting in the far corner left, leaving Eggsy and Elaine alone. The Barista wiped down tables behind them.

"How do you like London so far?" He asked. "You've had, what, since June to form an opinion?"

"Yeah, since June. Well, I love cold weather and rain is about as good as it gets, so overall, London is pretty much perfect. But it's strange to be so… uprooted from Minneapolis."

"Why d'ya leave?" Eggsy asked.

When she scoffed, crossing her arms, he continued.

"Come on, I answered a question, you answer a question. Fair is fair." Eggsy said, straightening and extended a hand towards her.

Elaine gave him a trying look.

"Things." She hoped he would get the hint. Eggsy was about to rebut the snip response but Elaine interjected before he could start. "Fair is fair, but the things I left overseas are… things I'd rather not revisit. So, I suggest you think of another question."

Eggsy studied her for a moment, watching her sip her tea and wondered why she smiled the way she did. Even after escaping such a past.

"Why a flower shop?"

Elaine laughed.

"From clandestine to clear, I see." She looked out the window, a smile still pulling her lips. "I guess I needed something sweet, something nice. And I need to get away from… certain… people." She felt the crack in her mask widen. Shaking herself out of what felt like the beginning of a spiral, she looked down at her drink. "Plus I've always had a knack for remembering symbolism and nothing say symbolism like a flower."

If Eggsy was suspicious of her hesitation, he didn't show it.

"So there's Gladiolus. Got that down pat. On to the next flower!"

"Sure you won't get bored and leave?" Elaine asked.

"Excuse me?" Eggsy scoffed, leaning back in his chair and feigning insult. "Am I or am I not Mr. Gentleman Man?"

"Okay," Elaine laughed, thankful for his light tone. She stirred her tea as she scoured her brain for a moment. "Sunflowers. They're the international symbol for nuclear peace 'cause they soak up radiation and they're kinda freaky since they turn towards the sun. Um… They're one of the tallest flowers with stalks that are thick and difficult to cut. One of my favorites; next to gladiolus."

"Of course."

Eggsy was still leaning back in his chair, giving her that odd smirk that always seemed to make her heart jump. He hadn't touched his coffee in a while and it seemed this extended gaze between them lasted the whole night.

"My turn." Elaine leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table. It seemed to do the trick, as Eggsy broke the gaze and took a sip of coffee. "What is it with you and suits? I don't think I've ever seen you wearing anything else. Not that I'm complaining."

"Comes with the job." He said, straightening his tie. "I'm a tailor."

Elaine's interested peaked and she wondered how else Eggsy was going to surprise her.

"Really? Well, you certainly look the part." She brought her mug up to her lips before remembering their last encounter and she nearly spat out her tea. "Your jacket! I completely forgot about it! I have it in my apartment and-"

"And it's fine," Eggsy laughed. "Trust me, as a tailor, I have too many jackets."

Elaine scoffed and leaned back in her wobbly chair.

"My turn." Eggsy said. "What are you working on?"

Elaine sent him a confused look, and he gestured to the notepad beneath her palms.

"Oh, this." Elaine blushed. "It's nothing, really. I like to draw. Dresses, specifically."

"Mind if I look?" Eggsy asked, hesitating.

Elaine shrugged, passing her pad across the table and nervously pulled at the hem of her sleeve as Eggsy flipped through the pages. Even more nerve-wracking was the fact that he lingered on each sketch, studying them all.

"These are amazing'. You got some talent." He said, still admiring her work. He didn't look up, just slowly flipped the pages and studying her work.

"You really think so?" Elaine fidgeted. "They're just early sketches and not that polished."

"Well, they look pretty spiffy to me." He said, turning back to previous sketches.

Eggsy closed the pad and pushed it over to her. The way he said it made Elaine blush an even deeper shade. The barista leaned over the counter behind them.

"Oi! We're closin' in a bit."

Eggsy nodded at her.

"I guess I'll see you later," Elaine said, polishing off her tea and reluctantly stuffing her sketchbook in her bag. She looked past Eggsy to see it was still a torrential downpour; the storm hadn't let up an inch. "Though, I was hoping to outwait the storm."

The pitter-patter of heavy pellets of rain thrummed against the pavement outside. Eggsy stood and shrugged on his overcoat.

"I'll get you a cab." He said.

Before she could protest, Eggsy stepped out into the rain and hailed a ride, but not before getting completely drenched. Running back into the cafe, he opened his black umbrella and gestured to her.

"Your suit, though." She protested, but it was obviously a lost cause.

"Has seen worse days." He raised an eyebrow with that annoyingly charming crooked smile, waiting.

Once again, Elaine questioned what type of worse days a man in a suit could have, but she gave up and let him accompany her outside, umbrella raised and tried to shelter her somewhat from the storm. Eggsy's hand rested on the small of her back as he opened the door.

"I'd share the ride with you, but I have business just around the block. I'll stop by Muffy's soon."

The harsh pellets of rain hit the side of the cab and were dripping onto the edge of the seat Elaine sat in, but she couldn't bring herself to close the door.

"I'll be waiting," Elaine joked.

Eggsy held his umbrella over to stop the rain from dripping in.

"How do I know you won't be gone to New York as the next Coco Chanel by the time I go back to Muffy's?" He teased, rain dripping into his eyes.

Elaine laughed at the ridiculousness of everything.

"I wouldn't do that to you, I promise," she teased.

As he was standing in the storm, pellets of rain showering him as he was saying his goodbye, he was getting even more drenched in the frigid rain. Elaine couldn't fathom why he would stand their gabbing at her when he was obviously freezing. And drenched.

Elaine shook her head.

"Mr. Gentlemen Man, you are crazy."

"I've been told that, love." He winked at her, threw some bills at the driver, and shut the door.

Elaine just laughed beneath her blushing cheeks and settled into her seat as the cab rolled forward into the storm.

* * *

It was 11:30 when Eggsy walked into the Kingsmen loft in Westminster. Greeted by a doorman, he shrugged off his soaked coat and proceeded into the loft adorned with the same dark green floral wallpaper as headquarters.

"Galahad." Bedivere acknowledged, nodding his way.

"Bedivere, Lancelot." Eggsy returned, setting his black umbrella in a stand. "Merlin." He added after noticing the leader of the Secret Knights looking out the windows overlooking Westminster.

"Kind of you to join us, Galahad," Merlin said, still overlooking the illuminated city marred by rain. "Now that all necessary parties are present, let us commence. Shall we?" He gave Eggsy a pointed glare.

Eggsy cleared his throat and seated himself.

"We believe Callisto has been hiding an operation base at Duomo di Milano cathedral." Roxy began. "Intel has also lead us to a string of evidence regarding another planned bombing in Milan. As well as other high impact points in Italy. It is fashion week, after all."

"Duomo di Milano? How can tha' be secret, though. The bloody thing is the landmark of the city," Eggsy said.

"At times, Galahad, the open is the most strategic place to disappear," Merlin said. He stood at the head of the table pinning the three agents with his ever-present glare. "Though I will admit, the cathedral is unexpected. Callisto always had an affair with delusions of grandeur. That being so, Lancelot will depart at 0500 tomorrow to travel to Italy and gather intelligence and I am departing to Stalingrad in an hour. I'll conclude my part and let Lancelot conduct the remaining time." Merlin said, stoic. He buttoned his suit, pulled an umbrella from the steel stand, and bowed his chin to the three agents. "Godspeed, Kingsmen. And woman."

Once Merlin had gone, Eggsy and Roxy loosened their ties and unbuttoned their jackets. Bedivere stayed stoic.

"Apologies for my tardiness." Eggsy said.

"Only two hours late, Eggsy. But nice try." Roxy chided.

She settled into her seat on the couch and stacked the tablets next to her.

"I'll have you know, I was doin' official Kingsmen business. Had coffee with Elai-Evie." Eggsy said with a tied-tongue. He flopped down into a plush chair with his legs hanging over the left arm. His suit was still thoroughly soaked.

"At this hour?" Bedivere asked, his back towards Eggsy. Swiveling to look at his fellow Kingsman, Galahad saw Bedivere standing where Merlin had stood prior to the meeting. He gazed out into the tempest just as Merlin had. Which seemed a wee bit pretentious to Eggsy.

"I had coffee, she had about four mugs of peppermint tea." Eggsy dug his glasses out of his pocket and straightened in the chair when Roxy handed him a tablet.

"Evie doesn't drink peppermint tea," Bedivere said, turning towards Eggsy, hands resting in his pockets. "Only coffee. Very adamant about it, too."

Hesitating for a moment, Eggsy tried to detect if the threatening and cynical tone to Bedivere's words were real or imagined. Staring straight into his colleague's eyes, Eggsy saw the look he knew too well; that of a posh ass demeaning him for assumptions about him or the scrappy neighborhood he came from. Remembering Harry's lessons, Eggsy attempted to turn the other cheek.

"Well, clearly you're bloody well uninformed 'cause Elaine hates coffee." Eggsy said, his voice more challenging than he meant it to be… he needed to work on the cheek-turning.

" _Evie_ was adamant about her morning coffee. Tea, particularly peppermint, was wholly out of the question."

" _Elaine_ isn't the person you thought she was. Look, mate, no need to be daft about it. She pulled a fast one on ya." He chuckled. This argument was ridiculous. "I mean, who's to say Elaine is her real name and Evie was the fake?"

Eggsy saw a flash of what looked to be contempt spark in the normally over-composed Kingsmen. He would have pushed the subject further, but it wouldn't have gotten anyone anywhere.

"We've pulled together a file on Ms. Daniella," Roxy said, standing between them and keeping a close eye on the two men in front of her. "This is information gathered on her life before Callisto. Friends, family, generally anything relevant. And Guinevere; Evie, is her given name."

Roxy gestured to the blank board behind her and gave Eggsy a sharp look. Eggsy put on his glasses and saw the board fill with information.

"She was raised in a suburb of the cities, attended public school, and worked for MPR while living in Minneapolis. From what I found she never lived anywhere else." Roxy said.

"Family?" Eggsy asked.

"Both parents live north of the Twin Cities," Bedivere said after a pause. "She was engaged to Gregory Robinson before the engagement fell through. They broke it off right before Evie traveled to France."

"Where she met Devron." Eggsy finished.

Bedivere nodded.

Catching Roxy's eye, she gave him a questioning look. Eggsy ignored her and made himself a drink.

* * *

The following week, Bedivere and Galahad flew to Singapore to intercept a network of leeks a budding anarchist group hacked from MI6. It was a fairly easy mission and once they finished, Eggsy was content to lounge in the plane and await take off.

"How is Evie?"

Bedivere sat across from him, reading a paper with a cognac in his hand.

"As well as can be, I guess." Eggsy said, unbuttoning his jacket and folding his glasses to tuck away.

Bedivere shifted, his eyes glued to the paper as he swirled his drink. Eggsy thought about just letting the issue go, but it was like a nasty thorn in his side.

"Look mate. If we've got a problem, you bloody well say it." Eggsy demanded, leaning forward.

Both Roxy and Merlin warned him that he needed to work on his composure, but Eggsy wasn't going to let some unspoken bad blood ruin a professional partnership. Even if this did lead to a write-up, he needed to clear the air with Bedivere.

"I assure you, Galahad, there's no-"

"I get that I took this mission away from you."

Bedivere gave Eggsy a skeptical look.

"You get assigned the Callisto mission, you make contact with Evie, and you do a lotta good. I get that. Then I barge in an' take it from you. I swear if there was a way of givin' you back your mission, I would." That wasn't necessarily true and Eggsy knew it, but if there was anything he didn't want, it was bad blood.

Bedivere stayed silent, staring out the window before looking back at Eggsy.

"My brother joined a hacktivist group when I was seventeen," Bedivere said, hesitating. His eyes shifted from the newspaper to Eggsy, then back to the newspaper.

And understandably, Eggsy was momentarily caught on the abrupt change in topic. But he let Bedivere continue.

"The group wasn't particularly powerful, but insistent enough to be trouble and my brother was a genius when it came to code. He was an asset to them." Bedivere paused, contemplating the sleek edge of his glass. "I think he fancied himself a virtual vigilante, breaking down the firewalls of the corrupt, stealing money to give to the poor, and so on. But, once it was too late, he realized the things they did. The day before he died, he came to me. Told me everything. Told me he couldn't get out. And I couldn't do a damned thing. I told him to report everything to the police and the next day… well." Bedivere gestured with the hand not holding the glass. He took a long sip of his drink, tipping it back and finishing the alcohol in one swig. "I saw that same look in Evie's eyes."

"And you got invested." Eggsy finished.

"And I got invested." Bedivere sighed. The Kingsmen sitting across from him looked desolate and alone, holding the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The pilot announced preparations for take-off and Bedivere folded his paper and tossed it to the adjacent seat.

"I apologize, Galahad if I've acted out of jealousy and insulted you. Which I highly suspect I have."

Eggsy studied the kingsmen across from him.

"I'll keep you posted. Tell you how she is." Eggsy said.

Bedivere hesitated before consenting.

"You have my appreciation, Galahad."

Eggsy nodded and picked up his own newspaper. The remainder of the flight was uneventful.

* * *

After three flights and four countries, he found her.

Night had fallen and it was cold as he watched her lock the door of a shop from across the street. There were wooden stands and empty pots peppered with soil outside the door.

She had always loved flowers.

Watching her bundle herself tighter into her coat and scarf, she took off into the darkened streets of London. Even in the low light, he could see the blush on her cheeks from the cold night air and the soft hue of her strawberry locks tucked beneath her scarf. She always had a low tolerance for the cold but loved it anyhow.

Making sure to follow at a distance, boots stalking quietly, he held his breath and prayed she wouldn't look behind. She came to an apartment and as she climbed the steps, she dug through her bag.

"... always forget gloves…" She mumbled to herself, shivering.

He climbed the steps after her, holding his breath. Two more and he would be touching her, one more. Inches away from the woman who ran from him, he raised his hand to run through her hair. He had always loved her hair.

The tips of his fingers grazed her locks. He stopped.

She had frozen, her key hovering over the lock.

Elaine turned around and scanned the street.

"Hello?"

Holding her key between her knuckles, Elaine looked up and down the street again.

"You are not getting enough sleep." She mumbled to herself.

Opening her apartment, she threw down her coat and scarf, fully intending on baking cookies at 11 pm, watching Princess Bride, and chastising herself for being so paranoid.

But outside, the man still hid in the shadows of her apartment.

* * *

To _Harleyquinn87_ : Thanks! Reviews like yours make posting worth it!


	3. Violations

**Hi friends! Sorry for the time it took to post this, I've been traveling a bit and I am LOVING the snow! I hope you tulips enjoy this chapter.**

Elaine's knee bounced nervously while she sat in the terminal. Airports, no matter what country, were always hectic so after navigating her way through the labyrinth of gates and terminals and rushed pilots and passengers, Elaine arrived at the right door. Attempting to remain calm and keep her heart at an average pace, Elaine's knee bounced faster as a woman approached her. Unable to control herself, Elaine squealed, running to her while ignoring the people she knocked into.

"Ellie!"

She was engulfed in a massive embrace.

"What's it been? A month?" Elaine asked, breathless with excitement.

"Three, you wart!" The blonde accused.

After bouncing on their toes and exchanging unintelligible greetings, Elaine shouldered Maisy's carry-on and led the way out of the crowded London Airport.

"Coffee. It's just around the corner and we'll catch up and then I'll show you Muffy's flower shop and then we'll have a sleepover in _London_ and then we'll make cookies in the middle of the night and then w-"

Maisey pretended to gag.

"Oh god, I almost missed your aggressively affectionate personality," Maisy complained dramatically, trying and failing to hide the loving look in her eyes.

"You wanna go home? The airport is right here." Elaine suggested, making a show of looking insulted.

"Ugh, I just need that coffee you mentioned to deal with all of this. With London!" Maisy squawked, spinning in a circle, no doubt taking in the rush hour traffic and the overcast sky as her heel tapped on the concrete.

Elaine looked down at Maisey's feet and nearly slapped her.

"You're wearing stilettos," Elaine deadpanned.

Maisey shook her sleek shoulders poshly and flipped her blonde extension filled hair with polished nails.

"One must always travel fashionably," She said in a sultry voice and a funny face.

Elaine covered her face with her unmanicured hand.

"Why are we friends? You wore stilettos on a plane!" Elaine nearly yelled though she was closer to doubling over with laughter than actual anger.

"Why are you so surprised, bitch?" Maisey simply ignored Elaine and linked her arm through hers as they exited the terminal. "You've known me forever. I came out of the womb wearing heels, dammit."

Elaine rolled her eyes with a laugh and led them to coffee.

Twenty minutes later, they were both sitting in a cinnamon-infused cafe. Elaine had her peppermint tea and Maisy had a double shot caramel non-fat latte. No whip.

"You still have Hershel, right?" Maisy asked.

"Are you kidding? I couldn't live without him." Elaine said.

"Yes, all that shedded cat hair must be full of vital nutrients."

Elaine threw a muffin crumble at the blonde sitting across from her.

"So, Maisy-daisy, what have I missed in Minneapolis?"

Maisy took a sip of her latte, smiling across the two-seat table and bouncing her feet. Elaine gave her a suspicious look. One should always be suspicious around a silent Maisy. Especially if she wasn't swearing.

She snapped her left hand out across the table.

"No!" Elaine gawked, almost dropping her tea. She snatched her friend's hand closer and inspected the stunning diamond ring. "Daniel?"

"Who else?" Maisy smiled.

Unable to contain herself, Elaine jumped up to embrace her friend and squealed.

"He is the luckiest man on the frickin' planet," Elaine gushed as she embraced her.

Maisy returned the embrace even tighter before asking the real question.

"Will you be my maid of honor?"

Pulling back to hold Maisy at arms distance, Elaine feigned seriousness before bubbles of laughter erupted. She was about to answer before being engulfed in another hug.

"Do you even have to ask?" Elaine cried.

Maisy gave her a peck on the cheek and rolled her eyes as Elaine squealed again and bounced up and down. Once they were seated again, Elaine looked longingly at the ring adorning Maisy's sleek finger.

The coffee shop they sat in was close to the airport, so there was too much traffic and customers to do the screaming and dancing Elaine and her friend actually felt like doing, but they managed just fine. A couple people overheard their conversation and congratulated Maisey, who accepted their words with bubbles of laughter.

And that's how Elaine knew Maisey was elated; she didn't just tell random strangers who tried to talk to her to get lost.

After the hype and excitement of Maisey's news had fallen from the spotlight, Maisey turned the conversation on Elaine and began the interrogation.

"Speaking of engagements, any boytoys hanging around?" Maisy wiggled an eyebrow.

"How long have you known me?"

"Answer the question." Maisey snapped.

"No. I'm not Evie." It took Elaine a moment to realize what she just said. She was about to address it but turned to her tea. There was a moment of silence between them as they sat drinking, the flow of customers brushed past their table.

"Are you okay?" Maisy asked.

The bubbly and excitable tone that had previously filled the blonde's voice not a minute ago was replaced by careful and hesitant worry.

"Okay with what?" Elaine asked innocently.

She knew the woman sitting across from her didn't buy it.

"It's been three months. What's past has passed."

"Ellie."

"When's the wedding?"

"June. We need to talk about this."  
"Of course! Daisies or roses."

"About what happened."

"Because I've always thought of you as a tulip kinda girl. Ya know? Maybe light purple, oh, or pink."

"Elaine, I'm serious."

"I'm serious, too. What's done is done. Evie is gone and I'm finally here to make my own life outside of her. And if that's not okay with you, you can sod off and leave me alone." Elaine stood and turned to leave.

"I flew all the way to London just for you to walk away? Really?" Maisy asked behind her.

Elaine turned the face her bewildered friend.

She took a moment for her head to fall back and her actions to catch up with her. Her sanity was disintegrating before her eyes. Taking a deep breath, Elaine tugged her sleeves and walked back to the table.

"What am I supposed to do?" Elaine asked, the beginning of a sob knotting in her chest. Elaine wore her good makeup today and she sure as hell wasn't going to ruin it. "I've been ripped apart."

It was useless, she started crying anyhow and the tears were silent and suffocating. Elaine hated crying but nonetheless, tear-stained cheeks seemed to be a part of her aesthetic. But she had been ripped right down her middle and thrown across the globe; what else was she to do but run and cry and tell her friends to sod off? Maisy pushed her chair closer to Elaine and held her hand between their warm mugs as she wiped the tears away.

"I know it's terrifying now, but… but everything will work out." Maisy said, standing her ground at Elaine's skeptical look. "I mean it. You've escaped the evil corporation, settled in London, and are surrounded by flowers all day long. You've focused on being Evie for so long. It's time to be Elaine."

Elaine nodded, blowing her nose and sniffling before laughing.

"I put on my Sephora makeup. Fat lotta good that did."

Maisy laughed.

"You know, you're actually starting to sound British."

"Yeah?"

"Mmh. You told me to 'sod off'."

"Sorry," Elaine mumbled. "That was terrible of me."

"I'd say so. But we both know I've done worse. Plus a little tantrum proves you're a rotten human just like the rest of us, not the annoyingly pristine angel everyone thinks you are." Maisy gave her a sly smile.

"Bitch, I am an angel." Elaine threw back.

Maisy scoffed.

"Sure, St. Eleanor. Come on, Let's see London! I'm only here for another four days."

* * *

On the third and final night of Maisy's stay, they lied in bed staring at the glowing stars plastered on Elaine's ceiling. It was 3 am, but Elaine knew there was no sleeping when Maisy was there to talk her ear off.

It was silent.

Elaine wore her matching purple cow pajamas. Maisy wore underwear labeled JUICY and an old crop top. In the dark, beneath the faded glow of the plastic stars, Maisy's arm rose up and Elaine could just make out the gleam of her diamond ring.

"I always thought you would be married before me," Maisy said beside her. Elaine turned to look at her sister-not-a-sister, she could tell that the blonde-bombshell was staring at the diamond wrapped around the finger that her now fiance was also wrapped around. "Jesus fuck, I didn't expect to get married, period."

She let her hand fall heavily on the mattress.

"You're getting married to an amazing man who hates the government just as much as you," Elaine said. "As for me, saints don't get married, do they?"

"Oh, hogwash. There's a guy." Maisy said, propping herself up on her side.

When Elaine snorted, she hit her with a pillow.

"Answer!" Maisy hit her again.

"Okay, okay! There is a… guy." Guy didn't seem like the right word to describe Eggsy.

"I will punch your boob if you do not elaborate." Maisy threatened.

Elaine automatically covered her chest, remembering the last boob punch she suffered from Maisy.

"Fine." Elaine relented. "There's this guy who stops by Muffy's a few days a week and I swear I have never seen him in anything other than a suit."

"Suited men have always been your weakness," Maisy commented.

"I realize that. 100 percent. Completely! So I said to myself 'Elaine, you are not going to crush on him. No more crushes'. I made it very clear to myself, Maisy. I put the fist down at the mushy-gushy feelings assembly! No crushes, no falling in love!"

"You're in deep, aren't you?"

Elaine let out a held breath and covered her face with her hands. The bed shifted as Maisy sat up cross-legged on the bed and turned on the lamp. Elaine did the same.

"His manners make me think he is the grandson of Emily Post. He gives me a flower out of every bouquet he buys and he's courteous and kind, mysterious, and handsome as hell. As hell, Maisy. I kid you not, his cheekbones could cut diamonds. And his eyes," Elaine fell back down to the bed with a moan. "What am I doing?"

"Sounds like you're falling in love," Maisy said, laying down next to her.

"How, though? I've known him for a few months and to add to that I've only been out with him once and that was by accident. I shouldn't feel this way! I wish my heart would just harden."

"No, you don't," Maisy said. "I've seen a heartless you and her name is Evie."

"Evie isn't heartless. She was hurt. I hurt her."

They were silent for a long time. Maisy turned off the lamp and the two of them started once again at the plastic glowing stars above them.

"You're irresistible, Elaine. He would be brainless if he didn't feel something back. You got me to love you and I'm a heartless bitch."

"Yeah," Elaine said in the dark. "You are."

She yelped when Maisy hit her chest, which in turn started a pillow fight at 3 am.

* * *

"Not once, though."

Elaine and Maisy sat on the steps outside her apartment and ate the cookies they had just made. The blue sky and bright sun warmed the stone steps they sat on and made for one of the last enjoyable days of autumn. Hershel brushed against their knees and mewled for attention.

"We were only at the flower shop two times, and only for an hour." Elaine pulled apart a particularly gooey cookie. "Besides, he travels a lot and I thought our plan was to help me fall out of love with him."

Hershel's tail flickered.

"That's why I need to meet him," Maisy said with an eye-roll. "I'll gage from an objective standpoint to see if your boy-toy likes you back. You sure Hershel won't run for it?"

"But how can I be in love! It's crazy; borderline insane!" Elaine yelled to no one in particular. "And no, Hershel always stays on the steps."

Just as Elaine reassured Maisy, Hershel cowled and ran from the apartment and out of sight.

"Hershel!" Elaine and Maisy called at once.

"You just had to say he always stays on the steps!" Maisy called as she ran after Elaine.

Spotting the grey cat dash around the corner a block down the avenue, Elaine let out a rare curse and followed. Calling out her beloved cat's name, Elaine was frantic, searching the steps of the apartments lined down the avenue and even up the trees.

"Ah, fuck that." Maisy came up behind her, breathless. "I should not have worn stilettos."

"Hershel!" Elaine spun around, scanning all the places she would hide if she were a cat. "He has never done that before."

"Is this who you're looking for?" A voice called behind her. Elaine froze.

"You have got to be kidding me." She mumbled under her breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maisy raise an appreciative eyebrow. Turning towards the voice behind her, Elaine saw Eggsy holding a purring Hershel in his arms.

"Eggsy! You found Hershel!" Her smile felt too forced.

"So Hershel's the name, eh?" He held the cat up to inspect. As always, Eggsy wore a tweed, three-piece suit tailored all too perfectly with his black-rimmed glasses and signature Oxfords. "Great name."

"Thank you so much, I don't know what I would have done," Elaine said as Eggsy handed over the cowling grey ragdoll.

"Yeah, that asshole is basically Ellie's kid," Maisy said. "Hi, you must be George. I've heard all about you! You and your abs are all Elaine can talk about."

Elaine kicked Maisy's shin while holding Hershel close.

"No," Eggsy scratched the back of his neck. "Not the boyfriend, just the friend. I'm Eggsy." He held his hand out to Maisy who shook it vigorously.

"George isn't my boyfriend-"

"Yet." Maisy intruded.

"He just this… this guy… that I know." Elaine had never felt so awkward in her life and attempted to hide behind Hershel. "My apartments this way." She gestured as best she could with a cat in her arms.

"I'll walk with you ladies." Eggsy said, falling in stride beside Elaine.

The remainder of the short walk back to her apartment was filled with small talk and Eggsy's usual charms. Elaine made sure to keep a tight grasp on Hershel.

Once Eggsy had walked Elaine and Maisy to the apartment, he said his gentlemanly farewell and went on his way.

"George!?" Elaine yelled. Hershel growled in her arms, scratching at her. "Who the flippity-flop is George?"

"Just someone to get the green little monster stirring in your man."

"Stop," Elaine begged.

"He likes you, he really really likes you." Maisy sang.

"Stop!" This time Elaine couldn't help but smile.

"Okay, okay, I surrender. But you are keeping me updated on everything. It's part of your duties as Maid of Honor."

"Is it?" Elaine bit back with a smile. They climbed up the steps to the apartment and Maisy grabbed the plate of cookies.

"Yup. I'll be tied to Daniel, so no more-" Maisy stopped.

Following Maisy's gaze, Elaine looked to her front door, which was slightly ajar. Maisy stared at Elaine, hesitant to open the entrance further and there seemed to be a moment where both of them were too scared to open the door. Jolted out of her stupor by the cowls of Hershel, Elaine rushed forward through the door to find her apartment ransacked.

"What the hell!?" Maisy said.

They both stood like statues at the threshold, taking in the ripped up curtains, broken photographs and pulled out drawers. Elaine walked further in, speechless.

"The hell are you doing!?" Maisy grabbed her arm.

Elaine shook it off, unable to believe that this had occurred in the time it took for Hershel to run into the streets and back. It was a disaster. Stepping over a shattered frame of her and her sister at Cape Cod, Elaine looked back at Maisy and quickly fell into a panic.

"What's 911 in London?" Maisy called from the kitchen.

"999," Elaine called back, dropping Hershel before going through her apartment to survey the damage. Maisy's call carried through the apartment. Tears prickled in Elaine's eyes when she realized who she suspected. He had found her. About to break down, Elaine attempted to center her breathing by counting out deep inhales, but only got to three before a hand wrapped around her mouth and pulled her into the bathroom.

"Maisy! What the hell!?"

"Shh!" She covered her mouth again. And that's when Elaine heard it; heavy footsteps walking through the apartment.

It became apparent that Elaine was mad. Furious. Of all the shit she had gone through in the past year, of all the escapes and the fights and the fear, she just wanted peace. Boiling, she crept out of the bathroom and picked up her pink umbrella.

"Don't!" Maisy whispered furiously from the bathroom. Elaine waved her off.

Slipping around a corner, she heard him approaching. Raising her umbrella, she swung as hard as she could only to be grabbed by the wrist and legs kicked out from beneath her. Hitting the ground with a wheeze, Elaine couldn't think much as Maisy ran out screaming from the doorway and threw a loofa at the intruder.

"Eggsy?" Elaine asked, still sprawled on the floor.

"Elaine!" Faster than she had been knocked to the floor, Eggsy took her hand and helped her up.

"What happened? You alright?" Eggsy asked, gripping her arm and turning her towards him.

"Fine." She mumbled.

"No! She's not fucking fine her place was robbed!" Maisy yelled. Hershel growled beneath the couch. "I'm calling the cops. Again."

Once more, Elaine ghosted over shattered glass and broken vases, taking in the disbelief. Her apartment had been robbed and her good Sephora makeup ruined. Eggsy stood beside her with a hand pressed to her lower back.

"Talk to me."

She ignored him, walking out of his grasp.

"The 999 shit ain't picking up! What the fuck is this!" Maisy yelled from the front room. She barged into the destroyed living room Elaine stood dumbstruck in. Maisy's anger seemed to dissipate as she watched the state Elaine and her apartment was in.

"Elaine." Eggsy set his hand on her back. "We should go. I'll call a cab."

"Your flight! It leaves at four and you still need to pack and-"

"And we have time. Everything is going to be fine, Ellie." Maisy pulled Elaine in for a hug. "I didn't pack much anyway. Besides, I'm more worried about you."

"I have an uncle in the upper ranks of the Ministry of Justice, he owes me a favor and I'm sure he'll take care of this mess."

"Thank you." Elaine touched his arm. She honestly didn't know what to do.

Once Maisy was packed and had boarded the flight back to the states, Eggsy called the fanciest cab Elaine had ever seen. Black and sleek, Elaine slid in and caught strange insignias printed on the seats; golden K's turned horizontal and set inside circles. Thinking nothing of it, she slid further in and waited for Eggsy. She left Hershel at the apartment and she made a mental note to find a kennel.

"You're not staying there. Not now." Eggsy said as he slid into the cab next to Elaine, pausing to give the driver an address. He was talking but she didn't listen. Elaine sat stoic, eyes molded to the seat in front of her. "I have a friend you can stay with. She's very trustworthy an' she's not the nosy type so ya don't have to worry about explainin'."

Memories of him surfaced in her mind, undertoned with feelings of fear and resentment. She had let all of this happen. This had come about of her own volition.

"It was him," Elaine whispered in the cab. Eggsy's shoulder grazed her's in the small backseat. She kept her gaze forward, refusing to see the confusion in eyes of the man next to her, but she did see him look down to where her hands tugged at her sleeves. Eggsy took her hand in his.

"Who."

She was choked with fear for a few breaths, unable to speak and instead contemplated the sight of her shaking hand in his steady one. The thick callouses of his palm brushed over her skin. When she stayed silent, he brushed his thumb along the back of her hand.

"You asked me, that night in the coffee shop, why I left Minne… why I moved to London." She took another breath. "I was running." Her voice cracked. "From him." The hand not engulfed in his wiped away the tears she had fought to hide. Swallowing a sob, Elaine looked out the window to avoid the gaze she felt on her. The touch on her jaw startled her, but she kept her face towards the cab window, not wanting Eggsy to see any more of her tears. But he persisted, coaxing Elaine to look back at him.

"Don't be scared of him, 'cause I'm here and I've been told before I'm pretty tough in a fist fight."

Elaine let out a pained laugh at that; a fighting tailor.

"When I got on that plane to London, I was sure he would never find me again. Once I got on that plane… I could breath." Her voice caught again and Elaine looked straight into his eyes, not caring that the tears fell down her cheeks like rain.

"And you're gonna to continue to breathe." The hand not wrapped around her's brushed Elaine's hair out of her face to wipe her tears. "This bloke ain't gonna touch ya."

The bubble of fear knotted in the center of Elaine's throat sank with his words. Unable to speak, she gave Eggsy a small smile and returned her gaze to the passing streets of London.


	4. The vinyl of Kensington

**Hi, friends! Sorry for posting this late, but I'll try and keep the times between posting relatively short (hopefully). I'll be posting progress updates on my profile, so just look on there or feel free to message me with questions or other such comments!**

"You need to call it in," Roxy said to Eggsy in hushed tones. "This could be Callisto."

"No, it's not…" Eggsy paused, searching for the soundest argument. "It was sloppy. An international Terrorist organization would have had more intimidating ways of threatening her. I mean, Elaine had barely spent a few months in that tiny apartment, Rox. What would be the point of smashing up stuff that didn't mean anything to her? An' if Merlin brings her in, the trust is lost."

Roxy turned to the whistling kettle and pulled a mug out of the cupboard.

"You know the director wouldn't pull Evie out after a robbery," she said, looking through her tea selection and pulling out a black tea.

"Peppermint."

"Huh?"

"Elaine likes peppermint tea," Eggsy said, pointing to the lonely herbal tea packet amidst an array of pomegranate green and breakfast blends.

Skeptical, Roxy dropped the black and opened the peppermint.

"You can't possibly expect to keep this from Merlin, do you _Galahad_?"

Eggsy gave the woman next to him a trying look.

"I'm jus' trying' to keep the mission," Eggsy said in his defense, crossing his arms.

Rozy poured the water into the mug and mumbled to herself.

"If this is even a mission to you anymore."

"What's tha' supposed to mean?" He said more harshly than he had meant to say.

Roxy scoffed.

"It means that I think you're a little too fond of Evie." Roxy turned to face him.

"Her name is Elaine and too fond? Rox, I visit her _occasionally_ and, yes, I have been talking to her more, but as you should remember, that's my bloody mission," Eggsy defended crossly.

Roxy rolled her eyes and picked up the mug.

"What I'm saying is that you have known about this mission for barely a week. You've been buying flowers from the pretty little rosy-eyed flower girl for months."

"My mum likes Columbia street flowers. What's wrong with tha'?"

"Only that you're mum hardly accompanies you and the train ride from Kensington to Bethnal Green is at least 40 minutes with 14 stops _and_ train change," Roxy looked at him pointedly. "14 stops, Eggsy."

Giving his colleague a sharp glare, Eggsy grabbed the mug from Roxy and walked out of the kitchen. Once he stepped into the sitting room, he spotted the rosy-haired floweress at Roxy's bookshelf, running her fingertips over the classics the Kingswoman kept. Clearing his throat, Elaine turned at the sound and her anxious eyes melted at the now familiar sight in front of her.

"If I remember right, peppermint is your poison."

He said it with a smile that made Elaine's heart jump a beat. Having lost his jacket and tie, Eggsy handed Elaine the mug of tea with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up and his top buttons undone.

"Thanks," Elaine said, taking a sip. She took a step forwards when Roxy stepped into the room. "And thank you so much for letting me stay here. I can't imagine letting a stranger stay in my home."

"Eggsy explained what happened and I'm grateful to help in any way I can. And I would hardly call you a stranger, Eggsy has told me plenty about you."

While Elaine was blushing into her tea, Roxy shot Eggsy a steely glare.

"All good things, I hope."

"I assure you, it's been nothing else. And I really need to go out to Bethnal Green more often, the first and only time Eggsy took me there it was nice."

"Well, there's a never-ending supply of flowers so don't worry about missing anything," Elaine joked, inwardly kicking herself. Here she was, in an unknown house at least five times larger than Elaine's apartment, standing in front of one of the most flawless women Elaine had ever seen. This Roxy that Eggsy had brought Elaine to was obviously someone dear to his heart if the way he looked at her was anything to go by, and she was tall and lean with legs that seemed to go on forever. Not to mention her complexion was smoother than a cloudless sky.

This was the woman Eggsy bought bouquets for.

"I called my Uncle and he'll be stopping by. You'll be back in your apartment in no time." Eggsy assured her.

Roxy excused herself when her phone rang, leaving Elaine and Eggsy alone. Elaine hesitated a moment before setting her mug on the coffee table beside her. A bit awkwardly, Elaine started wandering around the room, looking back at Eggsy now and again.

"She's charming. Are you two…?"

"Together? No. Rox is a friend and a colleague."

"Roxy's a tailor?" Elaine asked, surprised.

Eggsy shifted and laughed at something.

"Yeah. In fact, she's one of the best tailors I've ever come across." He said it in a way that made Elaine think there was an inside joke she was missing.

The smile on his lips made her heart hurt, and not in a good way. That smile wasn't for her. His smile was for the rich tailoress with the flawless skin and endless legs and whom he bought bouquets for. There was a silence between them. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Eggsy hesitated before taking a step towards her.

"She's also a good listener, so don't bother worrying about gabbin' her ear off," Eggsy said, no doubt referring to all the times she went on long-winded explanations and monologues.

"How does she feel about sobbing?" Elaine joked, more to herself than Eggsy, but she saw him shift and she was embarrassed at how unfunny the joke sounded.

Eggsy's smile vanished in place of concern and he seemed to struggle a moment on how to help her.

"I know this is a shitty situation, but Imma make sure you come out on top. Yeah?"

Elaine tried to keep the doubt out of her eyes but took a step closer to him, nonetheless.

After trying to decide what to say, she simply held up her pinky finger. Eggys looked at her with a funny smile for a moment (probably thinking about how childish she was), then intertwined his own pinky with hers.

"Eggsy," Roxy said, barging into the room and raising an eyebrow as she caught them quickly stepping away from each other, hands falling apart. "The director is on the phone and would like to have a word with you."

Clearing his throat, Eggsy gave Elaine a last look before stepping out of the room, leaving Elaine alone with his pretty friend.

"So," Elaine started awkwardly. "Eggsy told me you're a tailor."

"Yes, I am. It's a profession that's been a tradition in my family. Granted, it has mostly been my male relatives that have picked up the business, but I'm all about breaking boundaries." Roxy said politely. So polite.

"What tailoring shop are you with?" Elaine asked.

"Savile Row," Roxy said.

"Savi… Savile Row? Are you serious?" Elaine asked, leaning forward at the unexpected answer. Roxy gave her a humorous smile. "Savile Row is big."

Elaine felt stupid for stating the obvious.

"It is. Eggsy likes to pretend I'm some big player in the business but, to be honest, it's a bit scary working with the legends and I feel a bit small."

Elaine was caught off guard with the honesty Roxy had just given her and offered her reassurances that if she had Eggsy's support, then she wasn't that small. It was at that moment the Eggsy walked back into the sitting room and approached the two women.

"There's a situation at the tailor shop," Eggsy said, he seemed to put more stress behind his words than Elaine would have expected him too, but it was Savile Row he was talking about. Elaine was sure whatever problems with the situation he was alluding to was well founded. "Are you okay staying here?"

"Yes, of course. Go take care of your tailoring situation." Elaine said.

"We'll try to be back soon." Eggsy squeezed her arm gently before leaving the room and grabbing his coat and black umbrella.

"You're free to anything in the kitchen," Roxy said, following Eggsy.

"Thanks," Elaine said, feeling awkward as the two of them rushed out of the apartment. "I'll just be here… alone."

They shut the door behind them with a resounding click and Elaine suddenly felt the pristine walls of Roxy's apartment become a bit more intimidating and lonely.

Letting out a huff, Elaine dropped into an armchair. Surveying the bookshelf beside her, she pulled out _The Count of Monte Cristo_ and flipped through its pages. Figuring if anything in the kitchen was free, Elaine reasoned she was free to borrow a book, as well.

* * *

When Eggsy walked into the darkened apartment behind Roxy, night had fallen and Elaine was presumed to be asleep. Well past 1 in the morning, the hostage situation at the American Embassy had been drawn out and tedious but Eggsy's shoulders relaxed the farther he walked into the apartment.

Setting his umbrella and jacket aside, Eggsy stepped into the sitting room to find Elaine curled up in an armchair. Laying with her legs draped over the side; arms loosely holding a forgotten book, she softly snored. Eggsy bit back an endeared chuckle.

Turning off the lamp beside her, he gently slid the book out from beneath her arms and marked her page. Careful not to wake her, Eggsy lifted Elaine from the chair and carried her to her room.

* * *

"How's she doing?" Eggsy asked as he stepped into Roxy's apartment on the third day after the robbery of Elaine's place.

Gawain was sitting in the living room chatting with her, him being the only Kingsman old enough to pass as Eggsy's uncle.

"I sat with Elaine for the first bit, but she's taking everything in stride. I'm impressed." Roxy said with honesty. "We need to get this straightened out before Friday. I'm flying out to Milan again for the next two weeks and unless the Kingsmen instigates a safe house for Elaine, we'll have to set up another arrangement."

"Her apartment should be secure by tomorrow. The cleaning crew came in and swept the place. Not a bit o' rubbish anywhere. We've set up a team opposite the street, as well."

Eggsy brushed his shoes on the rug and shrugged off his coat before stepping into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He looked at Roxy, who stood next to him and leaned against the counter. She was dressed more casually than usual, sporting a well-tailored pair of beige trousers with blue flats and a loose fitting white button-down blouse, and of course, had her hair tied up in her signature bun.

"I've tried my best to get her to open up about who she thought robbed her apartment," Roxy said, picking up an apple from the island in front of her and polished it off with the sleeve of her blouse.

"And?" Eggsy questioned.

"And nothing." Roxy took a bite of the apple. "That girl knows how to stand her ground."

Eggsy was going to agree before Gawain walked into the kitchen. The eldest Kingsman was hardly old at all. Perhaps tipping the balance between forty or fifty, Gawain was well built with strong shoulders and a posture reminiscent of a medieval portrait. Even with being the eldest Kingsmen, Eggsy knew him to be quite the ferocious adversary in a fist fight as he had been the receiver of his blows in mock sparring.

Greying here and there along his temples, Gawain unbuttoned his suit as he joined Galahad and Lancelot in the kitchen discussion.

"Ms. Daniella is an abominable liar, but I must give her due respects to holding her ground so vigilantly." He said, his accent prim and posh, decidedly through years of practiced composure. In his hand, Gawain held the file that, unbeknownst to Elaine, held all the intelligence the Kingsmen had gathered on her.

"She had to of given away somethin', yeah?" Eggsy said.

"Quite," Gawain said. "When I mentioned the possibility of an Ex-lover, she seemed very agitated."

"Devron?" Roxy proposed.

"No," Eggsy intervened. "Whoever she suspects is someone before Callipso. She told me 'bout a bloke tha' made her run from Minneapolis. I think it's Gregory."

"I'll have Bedivere look through surveillance," Roxy said. "Goodbye, Gawain."

"Lancelot," Gawain said back.

Roxy excused herself and departed to contact the other Kingsman.

"Thank you, Gawain." Eggsy said, gripping the man's hand in a tight shake.

"Always a pleasure, Galahad."

Picking up his briefcase and hat, the older Kingsman departed from Roxy's apartment, leaving Eggsy alone in the kitchen.

Downing the remnants of his water, Eggsy entered the sitting room in which Gawain had just left and found Elaine standing at the window. He stayed silent as he watched her watch the cars drive lazily along the road through the shower of rain. She let her temple rest against the pane, trinkets of rainwater flowing down the outer side of the window, her strawberry locks falling out of her bun. Out of courtesy, Eggsy cleared his throat.

Looking up from the window, Elaine looked surprised.

Stepping closer, Eggsy could see unfallen tears hanging in her eyes. She turned away and tried to hide the fact that she wiped her cheeks, but he had already seen her smudged mascara under her eyes and the way her nose was red and runny.

"How are you?" Eggsy asked.

"Fine." She said with an unconvincing smile. She looked tired.

Silence hung between them for a beat, and all Eggsy could think to do was stare at his shoes. It appeared that that was also all Elaine could think to do, as well.

"What say we go out for the day?" It was only one in the evening and while he knew him and Roxy were there for her, Eggsy could see that Elaine was getting restless.

"Where do you have in mind?" Elaine asked.

"Well, Hyde Park is beautiful no matter the weather."

"Hyde Park sounds nice," Elaine said with a smile; her real smile, not the unconvincing one she used to cover up her fear.

"Let me go get my coat."

As they walked down the stretching pathways of the park, the autumnal leaves of the trees lining the path made a golden-orange canopy above Eggsy and Elaine. Eggsy had brought his umbrella and a dark blue overcoat, but the rain had subsided to a manageable drizzle.

"It's beautiful here," Elaine said, tying her coat sash tighter around her waist.

Eggsy agreed. The pathway they walked along was slick with rain and reflected the little light that shone in the cloudy sky. She buried her hands deeper into her pockets, feeling winter in the misty breeze.

"Do you come here often?" Elaine asked as they stopped at a forking of the path.

One of the forks in the path led to a garden that looked bare and brown, crunchy leaves peppering the shrubbery.

"I try to," Eggsy said as he overlooked the park. "My job can be a bit stressful and here is the perfect place to forget."

"What, your tailoring job?" Elaine laughed. "I guess it would be exhausting pinning tweed jackets and climbing through the ranks of international espionage." She smiled as she saw Eggsy rise an eyebrow out of the corner of her eye. She smirked.

"Care to explain tha'?" Eggsy said, turning towards her.

"Well, I'm convinced you're a spy," Elaine said, holding back a laugh at Eggsy's expression as she resumed their walk beneath the canopy of autumn trees.

"I'm not a spy," Eggsy said after a beat, following her.

"That's what a spy would say," Elaine said, giving him a silly look.

Eggsy laughed at the insinuation, shaking his head and mumbling something under his breath Elaine couldn't quite hear. After that, they both walked side by side together in comfortable silence, the air growing chillier as the evening dimmed. After an hour or so walking through Hyde Park and exchanging silly looks and jabs at one another, Eggsy lead Elaine into the avenue of shops restaurants a few blocks away from the park.

"Thank you," Elaine said as she and Eggsy walked past the glass display window of a vintage dress boutique. Eggsy was silent for a moment.

"You're welcome. I figured you could stand to have a leisurely day." Eggsy said, looking at Elaine. "And just so you know, I'm always there for you."

Elaine mumbled that she knew, giving him a smile as they walked past the dress boutique and towards a fountain.

"How did the meeting go today with my uncle?"

"Good. I don't know why I was expecting someone intimidating, but he was very kind and was patient enough with me." Elaine said with an unexpected laugh. "I can tell you and him are related."

"Really?" Eggsy asked.

They both stopped in front of the fountain, Elaine taking a penny out of her coat pocket to throw into the water. She wished for her sister to forgive her.

"Yeah, I think he's even more mannerly than you," Elaine said, turning back to Eggsy after making her wish. "Which is saying _a lot_ and you dress similarly."

"I'll take it you also think he's a spy?"

"Naturally," Elaine said with a mischievous smile.

Eggsy was about to respond when a lightning bolt flashed across the overcast sky, followed by a crash of thunder. Both Eggsy and Elaine waited for a second, after which the sky started pouring, the rain falling in buckets.

Squeaking, Elaine put her hood up as Eggsy opened his umbrella over them. Laughing loudly and without hesitation, they both ran to the nearest shop to escape the torrential downpour.

"That was crazy!" Elaine laughed, shaking the rain dropped clinging to her hair and coat. Once they were inside the dim shop, the smell of old paper and vinyl filled her nose. Her eyes adjusting to the change in light, Elaine saw that she and Eggsy had run into a records shop.

Eggsy set his umbrella and overcoat against one of the shelves that held the boxes and rows of covered vinyl records. Shrugging off her own coat, Elaine did the same.

Curious as to where the owner was, Elaine walked to the side of the shop and found an old, rotund man with unruly hair sleeping at his desk. Snoring away, Elaine decided not to bother him and walked around the shelves.

"I've called us a cab." Eggsy said, finding Elaine admiring a stack of Louis Armstrong.

"It's really coming down out there, isn't it?" Elaine asked, looking towards the door they had just run in from. Even from across the room, Elaine could hear the heavy pattering of the storm raging outside.

Elaine ran her fingers over the stacks of records.

"Does it always rain so much here?" She asked, her nose buried in the Jimi Hendrix selection.

"I thought you loved the rain?" Eggsy said, teasing her.

Before she could think of a response, she spotted the classics pile. Kneeling down to shuffle through the dusty, torn vinyl folders, Elaine found a Maria Callas record.

"Are you a fan?" Eggsy asked, standing to the side of her, studying the record in her hands. Elaine hadn't heard him walk up behind her.

"Not really," She mumbled. "That's more my sister's terrain. She was into the classics. Puccini, Verdi, Rachmaninov." She put the Callas record back, careful not to further tatter the folder.

"Was?" Eggsy asked. Elaine turned to find him studying her.

"Still is, actually. We don't really… talk anymore." Elaine walked around the other side of the records shelf. "It's a long story, but before you ask, I'm fine and I don't feel like talking about it." She gave him a soft smile over the shelf.

"And you knew I was going to ask because…"

"Because you're a gentleman."

He scoffed.

"I try."

"I think you do more than try," Elaine said, resting her arms on the record stakes between them. Eggsy came up and did the same. Their arms barely touched.

"So if the classics aren't your terrain, what is?" Eggsy asked.

She thought for a moment, swinging her weight from one hip to the other.

"The classics are my terrain. Just not the classics my sister likes," she said. Curious, she looked at her feet and found an example of her musical terrain.

Pulling out a vinyl of Edith Piaf, she lifted it up for Eggsy to see and turned to put it in the old record player in the corner. _Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien_ filled the shop. Trumpet bouncing off the walls. Happy with the clarity of the record, Elaine went in search for other examples of her musical taste, but Eggsy's hand wrapped around her waist and spun her around. Laughing at the unexpected move, she smiled and swayed along with him. Dancing between the narrow shelves of dusty vinyl and dimmed fluorescent light, the melody danced through them. Elaine's plain and faded canvas shoes followed his wing-tipped Oxfords as he led her around, wood planks creaking below their feet.

Eggsy's arms wrapped around her waist, palms resting at a respectable position on her lower back and her arms hung over his shoulders.

"Do you speak French?" Eggsy asked.

"Nope." She muttered, resting her temple on his shoulder. For once in her life, she was grateful for her height because she fit perfectly against him.

There was something about his scent that clung to him that Elaine couldn't figure out; something metallic. Gunpowder?

Shaking her head and forgetting about that improbable scent, Elaine lost herself to the song and his arms wrapped tightly around her.

His suit felt smooth against her cheek, her fingertips running along his back where her hands fell as she rested her arms on his shoulders. "Do you speak French?" She asked, bringing her eyes up to his.

She liked to think the smug smile that rose on his face meant he was planning on impressing her.

"Oui," He said with a wiggle of his brow. "Je parle aussi Germain, Espagnol et Russe."

"Are you trying to impress me?" Elaine asked, holding back a laugh.

Before responding, Eggsy tipped her back then swung her up, resuming the dance. Elaine started laughing and before long, Eggsy was cracking a smile, as well.

"I'm really glad that worked," Eggsy said. "I've only seen that in the cinema."

The record scratched as the next song came on. _La Vie En Rose_ started and Eggsy twirled Elaine out and back towards him, prompting more laughter from Elaine.

Still laughing, they waltzed around the shop through the dimming light and in each other's arms. Slowing to a near halt, Eggsy moved his hand from her waist to her neck, taking his time in dragging his fingers up her spine and to her jaw. Heart beating faster, Elaine held her breath as Eggsy leaned down to press his forehead against her's; their lips breaths away.

The door clanged as it opened and Elaine heard the rainfall louder outside then fade back down to a soft pattering as the door shut. She didn't pay attention and neither did Eggsy; she liked to think he was just as enamored with the thought of kissing just as much as she was.

Only until the music abruptly ended did Eggsy break away from her.

"Oi. You gotta problem, mate?" Eggsy called, taking a step away from Elaine. She immediately felt the absence of his arms around her.

"You tell me."

Elaine froze, recognizing the voice. Turning around, the world stopped as the man standing by the record player stared accusingly at her. She took a step back.

"How the hell did you find me?" Elaine asked, surprised her voice didn't waver. Eggsy moved to stand between Elaine and the man.

"Elaine, why don't you go wait outside. The cab should be here." Eggsy said, grabbing his umbrella from where it rested against the shelves. His calm, overly composed voice scared her. Unable to move, Elaine froze, stuck between gawking at Eggsy and the man she had desperately hoped never to see again.

"Lainey's not goin' anywhere," The man said, his words bitter with anger.

"Don't you dare call me that," Elaine said, her voice shaking. Surprising herself, she took what she hoped to be a threatening step towards Greg, but Eggsy stopped her with one arm.

"Elaine. The cab." Eggsy said and Elaine saw his shoulders tighten as he faced down Greg.

Her breath caught as Greg took a step towards her.

"Elaine," Eggsy said, harsher than he had the first time.

Feet moving of their own accord, Elaine hesitantly walked out of the records shop and into the rain, refusing to look back. Just as Eggsy had said, the cab was waiting for her and Elaine jumped in before the rain could soak through her clothes.

The driver greeted her and asked about a Mr. Unwin. After a moment or two, Elaine realized Mr. Unwin was Eggsy. Thinking about Eggsy and the man he was facing in the shop she had just run from prompted a cold shiver to run down her spine.

"Would you like me to fetch Mr. Unwin for you, Miss?" The driver asked, looking at her through the rearview mirror. Elaine hadn't realized she started crying.

"No," She choked out. "I'm sure he'll be out in a minute." She hoped. Gregory was a fighter. Elaine didn't know how much a sharply dressed tailor could do against a boxer.


	5. The American Boxer

**Hello! I'm sorry for this being posted so late. I've had a lot of school work and I caught the flu… so, fun stuff. I also have other projects that I am working on, as well, so needless to say, this story is chugging along, but I am trying to give a large portion of my time to it, so kindly stay with me!**

* * *

Four months prior, Minneapolis

A soft blanket of snow covered Minneapolis. The streets were lined with the dirtied snow piled up to the sides and the sparsely placed trees were slick with the melting winter. But spring was in the air. As the end of April rolled closer, Evie's wedding loomed more and more. Elaine hoped her sister's wedding was set on a date that allowed for the blooming trees to show and the weather to be decent. The venue was outside the cities in a park by the river so Elaine reasoned there would be vernal blooms by then. It was only two weeks away, but only yesterday, it felt like three weeks. Being the Maid of Honor, Elaine had worked tirelessly for her twin sister, the bride to be, and time was beginning to lose a sense of reality.

Elaine sat down in the window seat of her apartment with a thick book and an even thicker blanket. Rust painted the corners of the paneled window and a vernal gale howled at the glass. Ignoring the noise of the traffic below her, Elaine delved into her story. But only after a few chapters, a knock came at her door.

Sliding out from her window seat cave, Elaine put on socks and walked over the chilly wood floor to the entrance.

"Greg!" Elaine said, staring at the 6-foot boxer with a broken nose and a busted lip. "What happened to you?" She ushered him inside. The wood panels of her floor creaked as Greg stumbled in.

"What do you think happened? I got into a friendly dispute."

"Friendly dispute," Elaine mumbled under her breath as she gathered a rag and hot water. Gregory chuckled, hearing her. "Perhaps you could tell your friends not to go for your face. You are tying the knot in two weeks so maybe lay low for a bit? I don't think Evie is going to be happy about kissing a swollen lip on her wedding day."

Elaine gently pressed the damp rag to his lip, tilting his jaw up.

"Does it matter? She's always mad at me for something."

"That's not true and you know it. She's just stressed about the wedding." Elaine rinsed the blood out of the rag, dipping it in the hot water again. "Just try not to get into any more friendly disputes."

"I don't mind 'em. I mean, without them you wouldn't have to patch me up."

Elaine shook her head as she rolled her eyes.

"And why am I always the one patching you up? Shouldn't that be your fiancee's job?" Elaine teased him lightly. In response, Greg stayed silent, seemingly caught up in his own thoughts as Elaine gently wiped away the blood. He seemed to have put his broken nose back in place before he came over, but being a boxer, he wasn't a stranger to a broken nose.

"I would tell you to take pain meds but I know you won't listen." Elaine teased, half serious.

As expected, Greg grumbled. He winced as Elaine put too much pressure beneath her now bloody rag.

"You know I could always bully you into taking them," Elaine said, feigning a threatening glare.

"Yeah?" He gave her a crooked grin.

"Yeah. I'm really good at punching people, you know. Some guy is teaching me."

"Is he any good?"

Elaine gave a shrug before attempting to toss back her hair with her shoulder.

"He's okay, I guess. I'm already beating him up, though. Might have to find a new teacher."

"You got one lucky punch in. One." Greg laughed as much as he could beneath Elaine's rag. "And that was at least two sessions ago."

"Well, you're losing your touch, Gregory. Sorry, not sorry."

After a quiet chuckle from the boxer, they both stayed silent. Once his face was cleaned off the blood, Elaine dumped out the dirty water and squeezed out the rag, she turned to him again.

"Now that's done, tell me why you're actually here."

Greg gave her a puzzled look.

"My nose was busted."

"You reset it before coming here and you could have easily cleaned up your face," Elaine said. She walked up to him and put her hands on either side of him to trap him. She knew Greg could easily push past her, but he wouldn't.

"I like your company."

"I would hope so. But besides Maisy, you are my best friend in the entire fricken universe." Elaine saw him attempt to hide a smile. Elaine tipped his face up with her fingertips. "I know when my best friend needs to talk."

"You like that fancy new job of yours?" He asked.

Elaine gave him a skeptical look, crossing her arms in front of her to let Greg know she was not fooled by the subject change. But, she relented.

"It's pretty good. I'd rather be working in couture wedding gowns, but costume design for the Guthrie looks good on an application. Plus, it's better than that secretary job. God, I hated that evil corporation."

"I'm calling off the wedding."

Greg said it quick like he was ripping off a bandaid.

A moment of complete silence fell between them.

It was at that moment, Elaine heard Evie walk into the apartment. She called out and Elaine could hear her heels walking down the hallway to the kitchen.

"Let's talk about this, Greg," Elaine said quickly and hushed.

"I don't love her, Lainey. And she doesn't love me neither."

"Evie is my twin sister, I'd know if she wasn't in love. Don't be crazy, just… We're in here!... Just wait. Okay?" Elaine said, panicked as Evie was seconds away from walking into the kitchen.

"Anything for you," Greg said, looking straight into Elaine's eyes.

Deep down, Elaine knew why he was calling off the wedding, but she was too flustered and stubborn to acknowledge what was right in front of her. Too caught up in putting on a mask for Evie, Elaine never really processed what those last words of Greg meant.

* * *

Present, London

Staring down the man in front of him, Eggsy waited until Elaine was out. When the faint pop of the cab door reached his ears through the rain, the Kingsman stalked towards the door.

"Manners maketh man," Eggsy said, locking the bolt and the old wooden entrance. "Do you know what that means?"

"Sounds like British pansy shit," Greg said, cracking his knuckles. "Stay away from Lainey, 'cause she's mine and she was always mine and if you so much as touch her I'll have you bleeding on the ground faster than you can put up your fists."

"No mate, she wasn't, nor will she ever be."

"What, you think she's yours?"

Gregory had a crooked nose, no doubt from years of being broken and then reset and broken again, but he dressed sharply enough. He wore a blue, button-down shirt with worn jeans but Eggsy would see the masculine beneath. Admittedly, Gregory had the advantage on both height and weight, but Eggsy suspected the American boxer wasn't prepared to fight a Kingsman.

"Elaine is her own person and a bloody spectacular one at that. As for me, I care a great deal for her safety an' it looks like you're threatening that."

"And what are you gonna do about that, pretty boy? You might rip your fancy Italian suit."

Gregory took a step towards him, wooden panels creaking under his weight.

"It's a British cut, actually."

"I don't give a shit what cut your suit is. I'm just here to take Elaine and you ain't gettin' in my way."

"Unlikely."

And with that, Greg lunged towards the Kingsman.

Harry had taught Eggsy enough about a fight to win, more than enough in fact, but the biggest rule being; never seek out a fight, but if you find yourself facing one, be the first one to punch and punch hard. So that's what Eggsy did.

Greg raised his fists but Eggsy dealt a fast blow to his ribs. It quickly became apparent that Greg was, indeed, a boxer. And a very good one at that. Greg smirked after the rib punch, absorbing it.

"You break a nail, pretty boy?"

"Not yet."

The fight hadn't even gone on a minute and Eggsy was on the defensive, working to dodge the boxer's blows. Greg socked him in the diaphragm. Hunching over, Greg uppercut Eggsy in the jaw. The hit would have been a knockout had Eggsy not rolled with the punch.

Eggsy pinched himself internally; he had severely underestimated the American boxer. He had a bruising jaw to prove it.

Jumping on the offense, Eggsy side stepped Greg's coming attack and another blow to his side, this time harder. Greg visibly pulled away.

Staggering a bit, Greg let out a growl and managed to retaliate with another sock in the jaw. But it was too late and Eggsy was in his prowess, fighting on the offense.

Grabbing his umbrella, Eggsy threw the curved handle behind Greg's left knee and pulled. The wooden floor of the records shop creaked as the boxer's weight fell. Elaine's terrified eyes came into Eggsy's mind and a wave of rage overcame him. Fear had no place in his flower girl's eyes.

Grasping the boxer's arm, Eggsy pinned him back onto the floor and dislocated his shoulder. Before the boxer could recover, Eggsy punched him in the nose, breaking it.

"Let us get one this clear. Yeah?" Eggsy said, standing over his opponent and only breathing heavier than normal. He straightened his tie. "The next time I see you, I won't be as kind."

Eggsy knelt down beside the boxer, knuckles white as they angrily held his umbrella. After giving Greg a thoroughly intimidating glare, Eggsy stood and fixed his cufflinks.

"You think you're so superior. But you're just a rich bastard in a fancy suit." Greg said behind him, panting beneath a bloody nose.

Eggsy turned back to him.

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man. True nobility is being superior to your former self."

Stepping away before he could talk himself out of beating the man behind him to an even worse pulp, Eggsy buttoned his jacket, smoothed back his hair, and wiped whatever blood was on his face. Leaving Greg on the ground behind him, Eggsy unlocked the shop door and stepped out into the rain.

* * *

"Oh my god!" Elaine nearly wept when Eggsy slipped into the cab beside her. "Are you okay?" Elaine wrapped her palms under his bruising jaw. There was a split in his lip and it didn't help that he kept angrily clenching his jaw.

"I'm fine, Elaine." Eggsy said, taking her hands in his and pulling them from his face, only to have him keep her hands in his. He brushed his thumb over the back of her hand.

"What… what happened? I mean, I know what happened, but are you alright? Where's Greg? What did he do? What did you do?" Elaine asked, her heart accelerating with each question. Elaine was never good with confrontations, even if she was only a third party.

"I should be asking you that." Eggsy said.

He turned to Elaine and she realized just how close they were. And then her heart sped up for a wholly different reason.

It may have been the way he looked while dripping wet from the rain, or how his broad shoulders and jaw were tense, or even the fact he just came from a fight with a boxer- which she certainly did not condone- but Elaine was struck by how attractive Eggsy looked. This added with the fact of what had been about to happen before Greg ruined it had Elaine blushing. She pulled her hands from his and looked out the window, though he probably wouldn't have been able to catch her blush in the low light of the cab.

"I'll take you back to Roxy's." Eggsy said, turning away from her as well- which Elaine was thankful for.

They were silent for the rest of the ride.

* * *

When the cab stopped in front of the apartment in Kensington, Eggsy stepped out of first. Before Elaine could open her own door, it was opened for her. Too tired to thank him, Elaine simply placed her hand on his arm and gave him a soft smile.

It was only in the beginning hours of the evening, but the sky above the city was beginning to dim, the coolness of twilight setting in the streets.

It was much of the same thing when they got into the apartment. Both Eggsy and Elaine were silent. Not caring, Elaine stepped into the sitting room with her shoes on and collapsed on a chair; memories of Greg and Evie and Minneapolis and the life she had left attacked her at all sides. She didn't know where Eggsy went to, but she was glad he wasn't near her because it just made the questions of what they were swim alongside the Minneapolis memories. Elaine could only deal with one catastrophe at a time.

It was when she heard the conversation in the opposite room that she stood up to eavesdrop.

"- He just came out o' nowhere."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have taken her to Hyde Park."

"I felt bad for her. She needed a day off from this mess."

There was an uncomfortable tug at Elaine's heart. Eggsy had felt bad for her. He didn't actually want to spend the day with her but apparently, she was like a kicked puppy.

"Stop stringing her along, Galahad."

"Galahad?" Elaine mouthed silently.

"I'm your partner. Not Elaine. Stop stepping over boundaries."

Elaine held her breath. Finally, the proof that Eggsy wasn't interested in her popped. Eggsy and Roxy were together, Eggsy was stringing her along, and everything with her life was wrong. It was just wrong!

Tiptoeing away from the sitting room, Elaine slowly opened the front door and left it ajar. She didn't want the couple inside to follow her.

Once she was out, the sky had darkened and Elaine started running.

And she didn't stop.

* * *

To _LioniWilliams:_ And it's going to get so much more dramatic!

To _Art3mis24:_ I'm glad you're addicted, I'll try to keep up the fun!


	6. Bottle of Beringer

**So this chapter isn't as lengthy as the other chapters, so there's no excuse for waiting so long to publish it, but here it is! Who doesn't like a drunk scene, huh? I had fun writing it, so I hope you like reading it. I'll try to be more timely with my postings, but kindly keep in mind I'm finishing Senior year and trying to write a book for publication (insert dying whale noise here).**

 **Thank you!**

By the time Elaine reached her apartment, she had already taken her shoes off and let down her hair. All cried out and over the drama, she instead focused on whether or not she would eat her feelings tonight. It was tempting.

Memories of her and her sister sitting on the kitchen floor eating burnt grilled cheese or half-frozen cookie dough and laughing about all their mistakes caught her attention; while her sister was the more composed of the two of them, she really did know how to fall apart.

"In this, though," Elaine said to herself as she leaned against the apartment door, "I'll fall apart better than you, sis."

If Evie were here, she would make a challenge out of it.

Toes numb and cheeks flushed, Elaine was wide awake. When she finally pushed herself off the front door and crossed the threshold, her shoes immediately hit the floor and the bottom-shelf Beringer was uncorked.

Sitting on the ground near her fabrics and half-dressed felt mannequin, Elaine polished off her first glass. The second glass came and went along with the third and slowly her nerves melted and her neck seemed to unroll. It wasn't as good as falling apart with a sister, but it'd have to do.

So much unexpected shit had hit her in the last 24 hours.

"And I have a feeling this is about to get a whole lot shittier," Elaine sighed, only to realize her confession fell on absent ears, not including those of Hershel. At least he listened to her.

Hershel cowled, sprawling across the floor in front of her bare feet.

Shaking her legs out to stop the chill from walking barefoot in the night, Elaine brought her knees up to her chin and started giggling.

"I would pour you a bowl," Elaine said to Herschel, motioning to her glass. "But I'm afraid it might kill you."

Herschel simply cowled and rolled onto his back. It was halfway through her fifth glass of Beringer that a knock came at her door.

"Go away!"

Hershel jumped at her shout.

The knock came again.

"I swear if it's Mrs. Denkinger again…" Elaine slurred to herself, staggering towards the entrance, bottle of wine in hand. Elaine swung open her door only to find it was not the nosey Mrs. Denkinger, but Eggsy. He stood on the top step leading to her apartment looking exactly the way she had left him. His overcoat was still damp from the storm they had outrun together, his tie loosened, hair disheveled, and even in Elaine's intoxicated state, she could see the confusion and concern filtered over his eyes. "Eggsy!"  
Elaine threw her hands up and Eggsy caught the cheap bottle as it slipped from her fingers. She saw him weigh the bottle in his hands, no doubt concerned at how empty it was.

"Or is it- um, what was it?- Galahad!?" Elaine was already walking back into her cramped apartment and far too sloshed to catch the bewildered expression Eggsy wore. "That's an odd cuddle name, isn't it? Gala-had. I would have thinked Ros-Roxy would call you something like buttercup. Yup. She looks like a gal who calls her boo buttercup."

Elaine chuckled at Eggsy as a buttercup.

Her apartment was messier than usual; bills were thrown over her coffee table, her kitchen table was entirely covered in fabric, and there was one lonely dirty dish sitting in the sink. It was one of Elaine's flaws that she kept everything in order and so much as a veil of dust over a lamp made her go bonkers. So her apartment was a mess. Elaine just leaned against her kitchen counter and looked at the man in front of her with curious and very drunk eyes.

"Elaine, why don't you drink some water, yeah?" Eggsy took off his jacket and placed his hand on Elaine's lower back, pushing her towards a chair.

"I was going to kiss you," Elaine said, drunkenly shaking his hand away. Even without his jacket and his tie and his hair messy, Elaine's heart still sped. And he didn't even feel the same way. So, she leaned towards him with what she hoped was a furious glare, but it felt more sad than furious.

"I was going to kiss you, too." A handsome, lopsided grin pulled at the corners of his lips.

"Well, then you," Elaine poked his chest, "are a horrible person."

"Am I?"

Even drunk, she felt herself swaying.

"Yup. You... You are with Roxy. Perfect, pretty, tall- so tall- Roxy. How could I ever turn your head?" Elaine slumped back into an armchair that Eggsy led her to. "This is all a cruel game."

She closed her eyes to stop the spinning, to unblur the hazy blob her vision had become. When she opened her eyes, Eggsy was gone. Groaning, Elaine rolled over to rest her forehead on the arm of the chair. A few moments later a soft clink sounded next to her ear. Looking up, Eggsy set down a glass of water.

"Look, I swear I'm not with Roxy, she's just my partner at Savile Row, and the name Galahad is an inside joke between us and I did want to kiss you," The corners of his mouth was turned down in worry, but Elaine got the feeling he was also amused.

She tried to focus her vision on Eggsy, but as he sat down next to her, his form blurred and her apartment was too dim to fully make out his features in her drunken state.

"If my si-my sister were, she'd tell me what to think of me- or- you, I mean you," Elaine said, sitting back and looking dizzily at the ceiling.

"What? You can't think for yourself?"

Elaine looked back at him in annoyance.

"I _can_ ," Elaine said, "But this sstupid world and the guys in it are dangerous with a capital _D,_ " Elaine punctuated her statement with a drunken poke to Eggsy's chest. "And me and my sis look out for each other And I don't believe you when you say… um… the those things you say. I jus' don't believe you," Elaine said stubbornly.

Eggsy laughed before looking into her eyes and moved to kneel in front of her. His palms rested on her thighs.

"Elaine, you are more than capable of catching the eye of any man who knows what's good for him. And I am more than willing to meet your sister and fight for her approval."

Even though he was kneeling right in front of her, his hands on her thighs, and closer than she probably realized, Elaine couldn't focus on him; not because she was drunk (but partly because she was drunk). Nothing was in focus. Not her job, not her friends, not her safety and certainly not her family. Everything was hazy, including the man kneeling in front of her. At this point, Eggsy was more of a presence; his smooth voice, a hint of cologne, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, muddy blonde hair in disarray and the warmth of his hands resting on her legs. Nonetheless, Elaine tried to focus on the man in front of her, but her eyes wanted to rest and she was too scared to worry about anything besides Greg. Everything was catching up to her and she didn't have time to consider anything else. She couldn't be happy. She just needed to run.

"I don't need you to validate me," Elaine said, leaning forward. She could kiss him at this proximity. "Though I still don't believe you. I'm too weak. I can't even escape my past. It's too sticky… it won't let me go."

"I'll help you," Eggsy promised, his eyes serious. "And I fully agree, you don't need my validation. But I'm here."

Elaine closed her eyes as he lifted a hand and brushed her hair back. His fingers lingered behind her ear, trailing down her jaw.

"How did he find me, though?" She whispered too tired to actually worry about it.

"I don't know. But I'll keep you safe. You understand that, right?" Eggsy said, he held her face in his hands.

"I'll have you know, I- me- this badass redhead-am perfectly capable of protractoring myself. Projecting? Propagating, pro… was' the word?"

"Protecting," Eggsy said with a reluctant smile on his face.

"Protecting! Thank you!" Elaine said, leaning forward into Eggsy's chest. The room was spinning too much and she hiccuped against his chest.

Elaine's stomach churned as the chair fell away from her and she was floating across the room spontaneously. It took her a moment to realize Eggsy was carrying her to the couch. Comfortable, Elaine rested her head against his shoulders.

"You know, me an my sis took a Jiu-Jitsu class one summer," Elaine said once she was laying on the couch.

"Yeah?"

"Mmmh. She was better at it than me."

Elaine curled against the cushions and closed her eyes as a blanket was thrown over her. She opened her eyes to find Eggsy watching her. Smiling, he sat on the coffee table in front of the couch and pulled up the blanket to cover her shoulders.

"Why are you the way you are?"

Confusion swept across his features before his eyes melted and he gave her a barely-there grin.

"Would you believe it if I told you I was born this way?"

"Nope."

Eggsy smiled hesitantly, looking down and fiddling with his sleeves. Maybe it was just the Beringer, but when he looked up, he seemed more vulnerable than Elaine had ever seen him.

"I had a mentor of sorts. Taught me everything I know."

A silence hung in the air. Even drunk Elaine felt something change in the air between them; a heavy, dense sort of energy.

"He's gone," Elaine said. It wasn't a question; the loss in Eggsy's eyes was clear and even in the hazy state she was in, Elaine could feel the regret rolling off of him. "Tell me about him."

"Another time, love," Eggsy said, reaching over and moving the glass of water to the nightstand beside the couch. "Go to sleep."

* * *

Elaine didn't recall falling asleep, but at some point, she slipped into unconsciousness past the anxiety about Greg. She must have been up tossing and turning, but she didn't remember having any difficulty falling asleep. What she did know, however, was waking up in the early hours of the morning.

The room was dark, save for her living room lamp which cast a dim light across the floor and cast heavy shadows over the furniture and corners. The mannequin on which she had draped the beginnings of a sundress stood in the corner and a pile of bills was barely illuminated on her coffee table on which the glass of water set out for her sat untouched and perspiring.

Groaning, Elaine was about to get up and go to bed, but as she lifted herself up, she felt a density beneath her and a weight laid over her side. Searching in the low morning light, Elaine saw Eggsy fast asleep beside her. Their legs tangled as Eggsy's arms wrapped around her waist as they lie together under the blanket.

Forgetting the bills and the unfinished dress and the mess with Greg, Elaine carefully settled back down to rest against Eggsy. There was barely enough room for both of them on the couch, but Elaine was content to share. Happy, she fell asleep once more.

* * *

To _Harleyquinn87:_ Eggsy and Elaine are pretty cute together, I'll admit...


	7. Bedivere, my beloved

**Hello! I realize that it has been way too long since my last post, but I've had a lot of fun writing this and planning out these next chapters. A lot has been happening lately, but this story is what is getting me through! So I hope everyone doesn't hate me too much for the delay. Be ready for these next chapters, too, because things are going to get messy!**

 **As always, enjoy and review!**

* * *

Bedivere woke with about as much energy as an iron skillet. That's about all he was these days; solid iron. His joints moved with a crick and his neck didn't want to turn and food never really tasted the same as it did because he saw only the look in his lover's eyes the last time they turned away from one another.

Standing up with his cast iron spine, he rolled out of bed and dragged his feet to the washroom. He looked in the mirror. It was unfortunate that the figure that gazed back at him was a reasonably put-together bloke that carried himself as a Kingsmen should. Tall, stoic, strong… perhaps a bit empty.

He should look just as terrible as he felt. But he looked normal.

Grumbling to himself, sleep still in his eyes, Bedivere leaned forward over the sink and towards the mirror to look deeper into his face. He inspected the faint bags hanging under his glazed sockets, the chapped lips that almost bled and the bruise on his cheek underneath the utter defeat pouring out of him.

The man who stared back at him was broken but had a talent for hiding his chip. His knuckles turned white as he grasped the sink, shoulders hunched. As he stared at his reflection, he waited for slim arms to wrap around his torso and a sleepy voice to rasp against his back to tell him sleepily to go back to bed.

The mirror was empty of his love and only showed a lonely man.

"Doesn't matter now, does it?"

His words fell on deaf ears. Only the washroom sink and glossy floor tiles heard.

His favorite memories of her were lazy ones; driving through the night together, hiding away from crowded parties, laying together during tired mornings. They both lived on the precarious ledge of Devron's rage and Callisto's claws, but they managed and that's all it took.

Still staring into the mirror, he recalled the little quirks he's come to love. Evie was partial to pin curling her hair. She'd swirled rivulets of her blond tresses up in little bundles, pin them, and wore a scarf to bed. He had prodded her with jokes but it was endearing. Watching her pin her hair the nights he had with her stuck to him; the sound of individual pins dropping on the floor or porcelain sink reverberating.

And now she was so close but all he could do to protect her was watch surveillance and destroy a punching bag. But even that wasn't enough to keep her from slipping from his fingers.

He had read the report. Evie fled Lancelot's apartment after some sort of altercation with Gregory. Galahad went after her and he spent the night.

Maybe it wasn't love. Maybe everything was fantasized.

Maybe the image of her blonde tresses streaked across his chest or the way rain clung to her like perfume or the feel of her lips on his was just an illusion. Fitzgerald shouldn't have written about a Jay Gatsby, he should have written about a Sir Bedivere and his disintegrating grasp on what was love. Was this love?

No, Sir, I don't know.

He looked back up into the mirror. Evie was supposed to be with him. He had let her slip through his arms because he couldn't convince her she was safe with him. She had turned away from the Kingsmen, from him, from everything they could have been.

The anger and the anguish swirled around Bedivere's head so fast that before he knew what he was doing, his fist tore through the mirror.

It was an oddly silent event. Bedivere watched the shards of glass pepper the sink and bathroom tiles. Soft chinks fell against porcelain. Blood spattered here and there. He didn't really feel it.

Removing his fist from the now shattered mirror, he felt his knuckles throb from the concrete wall the mirror hung on. He picked out the bloody shards of glass from his knuckles, distantly recalling that he didn't have gauze and left the shattered mirror behind him.

* * *

At that very moment, as Bedivere picked the glass out of his knuckles, Eggsy met up with Roxy in the farthest gate of the London airport terminal. Black coffee in hand, he unbuttoned his jacket and sat down opposite his partner. Roxy was tapping her toe against the metal frames of the benches.

"You never called in last night," she said with an accusatory glare.

Eggsy hesitated as he raised his cup to his lips. He knew what the glare Roxy was shooting him led to and he didn't particularly feel like going down that road today. Especially not before he had fully enjoyed his coffee. Throwing caution and his newly developed sense of propriety to the wind, Eggsy took three long burning draughts of his coffee before answering.

"Elaine was at her apartment and not in the soberest of sorts. Nothin' happened, I swear. I jus' made sure she was okay," he shrugged.

Honestly, he hadn't thought staying the night with Elaine would garner such suspicion, he didn't and would never consider trying to start something with Elaine when she was so vulnerable and Eggsy couldn't help but feel hurt that Roxy would think so low of him. But he should have known considering the people he worked with.

Roxy stopped tapping her foot and leaned towards him.

The clattering of travelers and airport staff and security weaved around them. The intercom echoed through the terminal and the rush of travelers. Roxy was still glaring at him.

"If I find out you've slept with her-"

"You won't because I haven't," Eggsy said, leaning forward, as well. "You know me, Rox. I wouldn't do tha'. I might be a tosser but I'm no cheat."

Roxy let a smile slip.

"You're not a tosser, Sir Galahad. You are simply… unconventional at times. And I do trust you."

She punctuated her last words with a pointed look before relenting and leaned back. Glancing at the clock, Roxy took out her tablet and scrolled through a list of notices.

"Bedivere will be joining us later than expected."

And so he did.

* * *

When Bedivere entered the plane after the two Kingsmen had boarded, Galahad had already settled into his seat and was halfway through his second coffee and Lancelot was sorting through the mission objectives.

"Alright, Bedivere?"

He looked up to see Galahad eyeing his poorly bandaged hand. Blood was seeping through his gauzed knuckles.

"Fine," he said after turning away from the two of them.

Galahad appeared to be about to rebuke but went back to his coffee. An attendant came out of the cockpit to hand Bedivere a roll of fresh bandages.

"What are the specifics of the mission?" Galahad asked.

Lancelot folded her glasses and acknowledged her fellow Kingsmen.

"Bedivere and I will pose as a newlywed couple honeymooning in Prague. We'll follow the parties that a number of known Callisto members attend. Galahad, you'll be surveillance. Merlin made it clear that this is just an intel mission."

"Jus' an intel mission? Lance, all we've been doin' is Intel and surveillance. There's gotta be somethin' more we can do other than schmoozing a bunch of toffs in the Czech Republic!"

"Evie is safe. That's our priority. Any progression outside of that is bound to be taken in careful steps," Bedivere said, tieing off the bandage around his knuckles.

"I agree with Bedivere," Lancelot said.

Galahad threw his hand up and finished off his coffee in one bound.

* * *

Back in London, a lonely flower girl lie sprawled across her floor and stared at the ceiling. Once Eggsy had left after insisting to cook her breakfast, Elaine took a long shower and then committed to laying on the floor next to her fabrics for an indefinite amount of time. She then proceeded to worry excessively about the state in which her life was in. One of her favorite past times.

It was mid-afternoon and a soft chill whisked across the wood floor she laid against. Too lazy to turn off the tv in the other room, Elaine sighed as she listened to a reporter list off the forecasts for the week. Thunderstorms were apparently moving in and the news reporters went back and forth about an important space-exploration mission. Something about new bacteria or something, Elaine didn't care to pay attention.

Coming from the direction the reporter's voice was emanating from, Hershel trotted up and made himself comfortable against her stomach.

"What do you think Hershey?" Elaine asked, bringing one hand up to cushioning the back of her head and the other to scratch the cat on his chin.

He purred against her chest.

"Should I be more concerned with Eggsy or Greg? Or both? I should probably just spiral down a sinkhole of anxiety. That's my default. Isn't it?" She said as she ran her hand over the cat.

Hershel growled and stepped over her to go eat the food she set out for him.

Remaining on the ground with a roll of felt like a pillow, Elaine grabbed her phone and brought up Maisy's number. In rang four times until she picked up.

"Bitch! It's about time you fucking called!" The line crackled with how loud Maisey's greeting was.

Half expecting that, Elaine bought her other hand up to her forehead and sighed.

"Why didn't you call me if you're so mad?" Elaine asked.

"I was giving you your space," Maisey paused. "Are you okay?"

Hesitating, she squirmed on the wood floor in order to grab a bolt of felt to use as a pillow.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, picking at a loose thread of felt by her neck.

"You sure?" Maisey asked.

Elaine considered the mild mess her apartment was in and how a slightly scattered tailor was really her only safety net at the moment. But her safety net was no longer beside her and thoughts of intruders were stalking the corners of her mind. She thought for a moment about unloading everything but decided against it.

"I guess," she mumbled, biting her lip and thinking about asking Eggsy to stay another night.

"I'm eating ice cream and Daniel is in Chatfield and I'm lonely and ready for a good story and I want to help you so dish it, bitch."

Sitting up, Elaine almost threw her hands up which Herchel didn't appreciate.

"I got drunk and Eggsy stayed the night…"

"You slept with him! Oh my god, you slut! Good for you, I'm so proud."

"I didn't sleep with him," Elaine said, falling back onto the makeshift felt pillow.

There was a mildly disappointed grumble at the other end of the line.

"But you got drunk and…"

"And I made a complete fool of myself!" Elaine stood up and started nervously pacing around her apartment. "He's helped me with so much. I mean, he got his uncle to help with my break in and he handled the run-in with Greg and-"

"Hold up. Greg found you?"

Elaine stopped her pacing. She came to a halt at her mannequin and mentally chastised herself for not bringing up the matter more delicately.

"Yyess… that's the other thing I'm calling about."

"Are you okay? Did he pull the same stunt as he did at the wedding rehearsal?"

"No, no… kinda." Elaine sank to the floor again.

Exhausted, she put her phone to her chest, tears swelling in her eyes as she distantly heard Maisy ranting about police and prison and what she would do to him again if he ever saw her again. Elaine put the phone to her ear again.

"It's my fault, Maisy."

Elaine wrapped a stray thread around her thumb. Maisy sighed through the connection and Elaine heard the interjections her best friend was prepared to throw at her. But before she could do that, Elaine started again.

"I let him fall in love with me. I smiled and encouraged and considered him a friend and it's my fault." The tears were slipping freely now.

"Elaine," Maisy said.

"No. He confessed his love to me a few weeks before the wedding. I didn't say anything because I thought I could fix it. But it just spiraled. Three weeks is all it took to upend my life. Three weeks. And if I had come out and said something to Evie that morning when Greg came to my apartment to screw everything up, there would have been no dress rehearsal disaster and Evie would still be my other half. I don't know how I'm going to fix this, Maisy. I really don't. And it is entirely my fault."

Elaine's voice was wavering. Her thumb was blue from the thread she tied around it. Maybe she would leave the thread to suffocated her thumb until it fell off.

"Elaine, I'm gonna need you to stop crying and listen to me. I'm gonna say something and you're not going to like it but you're going to listen anyfuckingways." Maisy ordered.

Elaine sniffled and untied her thumb.

"What?" She asked indignantly, pulling her knees up to her chin.

"I hated you for about the first three months I knew you."

"Excuse me?"

"You're not excused. I despised you, Ellie, because I had a crush on Tommy Gundersen. We had math class with him freshman year, remember?"

"God, he had a mullet that was about twenty years too late but looked oh so fine on Tommy." Elaine reminisced through her tear soaked cheeks.

"I know, right? It took serious skill, even back in the day. Did you know he runs a Pilates studio now? So Weird. I always pictured him being into like, some new age Bob Ross movement, you know? But a pilates studio..."

"Maisy. Why are we talking about Tommy Gundersen?" Elaine asked, leaning against the windowsill and bumping her forehead against the cool glass.

Maisy scoffed through their connection.

"Because I had a crush on him since elementary school and then high school math rolls around and you step foot into the classroom and Tommy was in love."

"Tommy never loved me," Elaine said, throwing that ridiculous idea out the window.

She sat straighter when Herschel jumped up on the sill and pawed at her leg.

"I regularly saw him doodling Mr. Tommy Daniella on his notes."

Elaine scoffed as she pulled Herschel closer to her.

"So I hated you because he loved you, but then I fell in love with you, too. People like you, Ellie, and you can't help it. You get what you give and you are so disgustingly loving that sometimes I want to punch you in your stupid cherry blushed face but I can't because I fucking love you. Its an insidious cycle."

"This isn't making me feel better," Elaine said, watching the pedestrians walk outside her window.

"I'm saying that it isn't your job to censor yourself. It should have been clear that being flirtatious and inviting is your default setting and it was none of Greg's business putting words in your mouth."

"I guess," Elaine whispered.

"Do you want me to fly back out to London? Because I will."

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I could bring you a grilled cheese."

"Thanks, but I don't think you can bring me a sandwich four thousand miles."

"Bitch, don't underestimate me. I'll make a grilled cheese right fucking now and bring it to you."

Elaine smile. She thought for a moment of professing all the things she loved about Maisy, but Maisy would brush her off. Elaine may be the giver of love but Maisy was the silent, unrelenting ocean of unspoken care.

"I love you."

"Yeah, I guess I love you, too." Maisy sounded reluctantly emotional over the phone, which said a lot. "But seriously, Ellie, I'll fly out again. Or you come stay with me and Daniel. He loves you, well… obviously."

"Thanks, but, I don't really want to talk about this right now."

"Okay."

The line fell silent for a moment. Tired of listening to the reporter talking about all the thunderstorms rolling in and space missions she didn't care about, Elaine dropped Herschel, walked into the next room and shut off the TV.

"Are you going to interview for the dress shop you talked about?"

Elaine huffed as she fell back into the armchair by the TV.

"Vafara Tulle? No, no. They wouldn't take me."

There was a pause on the other side of the line.

"Okay."

Elaine narrowed her eyes.

"Okay? Why did you say it like that?"

Maisey hesitated for a moment.  
"It's just… look, I know things are shitty and horrible but this is the same stunt you pull. Elaine, you are amazing and capable and you always undersell yourself. Just for once can you grow a spine and go for the job? And for fuck's sake, seduce Eggsy!"

"I can't seduce people."

"Spring break, Maui. I distinctly remember us trying to get into that club and it taking a little extra cleavage and persuasion on your part to get us in there…"

"Maisy!"

"What? I'm proud! And it's not like you did anything," she said. "Oh! Do you still have that dress? Dude, your boobs look so good in that dress!"

"I'm going to hang up," Elaine threatened as she shook her head with a smile.

"No, no, you're an innocent princess who would never seduce anyone! You're as pure as a unicorn!"

"Damn right," Elaine laughed as she sank into the armchair, her legs draping over the arm.

"Just promise me you'll try for the job. And the gentleman," Maisey said.

"If I promise, can we end this conversation?"

"No, but for the sake of my argument I'll pretend to drop it for a few minutes."

Elaine sighed as heavily as she could, hoping her exasperation carried through the line all the way to Minneapolis. But she ended up relenting with a roll of her eyes.

"Good," Maisy said. "I'm going to go get Chipotle, but I'll call you back later."

"Okay. Say hi to Daniel for me."

"No." Maisy ended sweetly.

Elaine rolled her eyes and rolled over to lay her back on the floor again. Herschel trotted up and plopped down beside her.

"What do you think, Hershey?"

* * *

642 miles away from the apartment in which the flower girl was talking to her cat, Galahad, Lancelot, and Bedivere were preparing for an evening of espionage.

"Galahad, what's your progress?" Lancelot asked as she put on gold earrings and stilettos.

"Oi, mate. I'm on surveillance. I'm jus' some bloke on a roof wearing sweats. I've been ready for an hour," Eggsy walked into the bedroom where Roxy was getting ready wearing a dark hoodie with running kecks and trainers.

Roxy, on the other hand, was garbed in a coquettish black evening dress, which, Eggsy observed in the most mannerly way possible, clung to her assets very, very nicely.

"You look like you're ready to kill a bloke." Eggsy said.

He put his hands up at her challenging glare then lazily fell into the armchair behind him.

"That's because I am," Roxy said as she put in her second earring before calling into the other room. "Bedivere, status?"

"Ready to proceed," he said, sounding rather bored.

He walked into their little lounge wearing a simple tuxedo, his dark hair slicked back and his hand freshly rewrapped.

"Whenever you're ready, darling," Bedivere said.

"Thank you, dear," Roxy winked as a tube of Russian Red lipstick slipped over her lips. Ignoring the two men in front of her, Roxy put her stiletto-clad foot on the glass coffee table and lifted up her silk skirt to secure her gun.

"The party started an hour ago, so we should be early enough to be fashionable, but late enough so that we aren't questioned," Bedivere said, checking his own gun.

"Right, well I'll get a head start. Good luck to the happy couple," Eggsy said before exiting the flat.

"Shall we?" Bedivere extended his arm.

"We shall." Lancelot intertwined her arm with his.

They walked down the streets of Prague arm in arm, the evening dewy with the night sky. It was a bubble of serenity that Roxy was beginning to see as more coveted as her life as a Kingswomen progressed.

Galahad informed them that he was in position. After he did, Roxy reached up and silenced her earpiece. Catching on, Bedivere did the same.

"So what's actually bothering you?" Roxy asked.

When Bedivere remained silent, Roxy pushing him a bit. "A lack of communication between newlywed couples is a sign of the eventual failure of the marriage, you know."

"All due respect, Lancelot, while your concern is appreciated, I am perfectly fine and there's no need for alarm."

"Yes, you've said," Roxy said.

Down the street they strolled down, a balcony stood above the cobblestone walkways illuminated with candles and Chinese lamps. There, the high society of Prague spent their evenings, drunk with money and drugs and falsely held beliefs of their philanthropy. From here, a block away from the party, both Lancelot and Bedivere went through their stories and prepared their masks of another life.

Once they were at the epicenter of the party, Bedivere took Lancelot's waist and they danced with the other toffs on the balcony in Prague.

"Something happened between you two."

Bedivere stayed silent, his stoicism remaining concrete.

"This is about as private as we're going to get." Roxy snaked her hand up to his neck and pulled him to look at her. "And I'm concerned."

The couples swayed around them. A drunk patron tipped over in his chair. The attendants helped him up and escorted him out as the other guests laughed and gawked.

They were entirely alone.

"You loved her."

"Lancelot, I care a great deal about your opinions, but not on this topic. This is inappropriate."

"Galahad hasn't slept with her."

"Lancelot, we should focus on the mission at hand."

Roxy sighed but nodded.

As Bedivere lead their dance, both were on the lookout for the three suspected Callisto. A few songs into the party, Roxy spotted one.

"Seven o'clock, Chet Strome."

Bedivere took a leisurely glance at the bar when their dance let him face the other side of the room.

"As we agreed?" He asked.

"As we agreed."

Roxy pushed him away and slapped him straight across the jaw.

"What do you mean you slept with her!?" Roxy yelled.

Bedivere stepped forward to pretend to console her.

"NO! No, this is over."

Feigning tears, Roxy stalked over to the bar and seated herself conveniently close to the Callisto agent.

* * *

While the mission in Prague was going just as planned, things were significantly less exciting in London.

Elaine was just settling into a cozy blanket and her fifth rereading of Pride and Prejudice and a deep mug of peppermint tea when her phone rang. Taking a sip from her cat-shaped mug, Elaine jumped up and answered.

"Hello?"

Elaine leaned against her kitchen counter and waited for a reply, but all that came through was static.

"Hello?" She repeated.

"There will be bombings at all Houses of Parliament at 1800 tomorrow."

The speaker was warbled as if their voice was scrambled. Elaine pushed away from the counter and tried not to freak out too much.

"Who is this?" Elaine asked this had to be a prank.

"I can't tell you what to do," the person sounded like they couldn't keep some sort of sadness out of their voice.

"Who the hell is this?! Hello?" Elaine asked, started to pace now.

There was another hollow, static silence on the other side of the connection. When the scrambled voice came through the line, it was much quieter.

"Get out of Birchwood while you still can."

There was a definitive click at the end of the line.

Elaine stood still for a moment, the silence of her apartment reverberating in her ears. It took a moment for it to really click. No one could have known what those ending words meant.

"Shit," Elaine frantically called the number back, her fingers shaking. "Pick up, pick up,"

It rang until the automated voice told her there was no one to talk to.

"Shit, Evie, pick up, damn it, EVIE!" She screamed into the phone.

She dialed again and again.

There was only the automated voice telling her to fuck off.

"Damn it,"

Her hands were shaking so much now that the phone slipped from her fingers.

Get out of Birchwood was their last stance, their final warning, their secret code when things were past bad and they were facing something deeper and darker than that summer years ago.

You got out of Birchwood before people started dying.

Her apartment seemed smaller than it had ever been and there was too much rushing towards her. Bombings. Birchwood. Lost sisters.

Grabbing her phone, she scrolled through her contacts and called the one person who might be able to help.

Each ring of the line lasted hours.

"Hello?" Elaine said frantically. "I know it's late but I was hoping we could meet up. Something- no, I'm fine- yes, I just… something happened, or no, just, I really need to explain this in person."

There was a pause.

Elaine grabbed a pen and paper, listening intently to the person on the other side of the line.

"Yes, I know where that is. Thank you. I'll be there in a bit."

Elaine hung up. Racing out of her apartment, she didn't bother with a jacket.

* * *

Guest reviews:

To _Gossamermouse_ : Yes! More cliffhangers!

To _WhoopsxD_ : No! Eggsy and Roxy are not dating, but there are still certain rules that Kingsman are expected to follow (i.e. not sleeping around with assets)

To _Guest_ : I am still alive! Thank you for checking in!


	8. Running

**I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!**

 **I feel terrible for that long interlude between this chapter and the last one. School just let out and I had to do a lot of packing, traveling, unpacking, and sleeping and then I had computer problems that are thankfully now resolved. So rest assured, I have not forgotten you! I made this chapter a bit longer to make up for my absence and I'm really excited for the upcoming one. I hope you enjoy this section and, as always, reviews are my currency!**

 **I also have been putting updates on my profile if you're curious as to my progress and don't be afraid to message me.**

 **-Elizabeth**

* * *

Elaine rushed to the location she was given. Oddly enough, it was just a minute or two from her apartment. It was in the later hours of the evening, so the restaurants were closing up for the night and the cool air raised the bumps on her arm. Chefs, tired off-duty waitresses, and late-night diners walked out into the clammy night. When she arrived in front of the bistro she was instructed to go to, it was empty save for one man at a table.

Elaine walked in. She could hear the staff closing the kitchen in the back and it was a bit surreal to be entering an empty restaurant; but in retrospect, it was surreal because she was in an empty restaurant because of a bomb threat. Swerving through the tables with their chairs turned upside down, Elaine approached the lone man. He stood up and pulled out her seat when she was near.

"Thank you," Elaine said, fidgeting with the hem of the tablecloth as Eggsy's Uncle seated himself across from her.

"Of course."

An off-duty waitress came out with two teas and set one front of Mr. Thomson and one in front of Elaine.

"I hope you don't mind; You sounded distressed over the phone and Eggsy mentioned you were partial to peppermint tea."

"Thanks," Elaine smiled before looking around. "Isn't this placed closed?"

Mr.s Thomson smiled.

"I'm a regular customer. What happened?"

"I'm sorry," Elaine apologized as she pulled at her sleeve. "I know it's late but I didn't know who else to call and it all happened so fast and-"

"And now you are here and safe. Tell me what happened." Mr. Thomson leaned forward and placed his hand over her fidgeting ones.

"Okay, okay. So this is going to sound crazy and… well, you're probably not going to believe me," she stumbled over her words.

Mr. Thomson leaned back again, his hand receding back to his side.

"I'll try my best," he said, looking Elaine in the eyes.

Elaine paused as some of the wait staff left through the front door. They wouldn't have been able to hear them, but her anxiety was nearing a spiral. Once the Bistro was silent again, Elaine focused back on Mr. Thomson.

"Uh, well, I guess I heard from a certain source that the houses of parliament will be bombed tomorrow."

He nodded, looking out to the front of the bistro window and across the darkened street. His reaction wasn't as panicked as Elaine expected it to be, but then again, he was the sort of person to deal with these things.

"Need I ask how you got this information?" he asked. This time when he looked her in the eyes, it was sharper.

"It's… complicated." Elaine said, shrinking. "I know you have no reason to believe me, but I wouldn't come to you if I didn't absolutely know it was going to happen."

He nodded, taking everything in for a moment. He sighed and the sharp edge to his gaze melted.

"What time tomorrow?"

"Um, 1800. So that's… 6 pm, right?"

Nodding, Mr. Thomson stood up and extended a hand towards her.

"Come on," he said.

Nervous, but unquestioning, Elaine took Mr. Thomson's arm and followed him out of the bistro to a cab waiting out front. Coincidentally, the cab looked almost identical to the one that picked her and Eggsy up in Kensington the night of the vinyl shop and Greg. It even had the horizontal golden 'K' within a circle. Elaine reasoned it to be a service that Mr. Thomson let his nephew use. Allowing him to open her door, Elaine slid in and tried to still her trembling hands.

"Where are we going?" Elaine asked, surprised when her voice was as even as it was.

"Scotland Yard."

* * *

Once the police station came into view, Elaine's heartbeat at an uncomfortable pace. Putting her hands against the rich leather below her, she leaned forward to get a better view. The cab rolled to a stop and before she had the chance to open her door, the driver opened it for her. He stood by waiting for her to step out and courteously addressed her as 'miss' before closing the cab door behind her.

"Um… Thank you," Elaine said.

Elaine had never known a cabbie to open doors for passengers.

Not thinking too much of it, Elaine focused on the man standing next to her. Mr. Thomson turned and gave a reassuring gaze.

"I'll talk to the Chief once were in."

Elaine nodded and followed behind him. Once they were in, Mr. Thomson brought her to an interrogation room, promised her everything would be fine, and then left to find the chief.

An hour later, Elaine still gazed at her reflection in the mirror on the wall opposite her.

Little did she know she was being watched.

Merlin adjusted the glasses on his face and watched as Ms. Daniella set her forehead on the metal table in front of her. He had just arrived in Scotland Yard from a conference in Wales and didn't seem, to Gawain, overly surprised there were bombs planted in the parliament.

"What does she know?" Merlin asked, still watching Ms. Daniella through the one-sided mirror into the interrogation room.

"The only information she was willing to give was that the Houses of Parliament would be bombed tomorrow at 1800. I don't know if its the House of Commons or the House of Lords, the bomb squad has discreetly been sent to Westminster Palace."

"Very well, Gawain," Merlin turned to the door.

"I take it you knew about the bombings, sir?" Gawain suggested, keeping his eyes on the bored ones of Elaine.

"That I did, Gawain. What I would like to know, however, is how Ms. Gwenivere Daniella got the information."

"May I suggest something, Sir?"

Merlin nodded.

"Her history with our organization and her limited resources in mind, I think it prudent if I remain simply Mr. Thomson to her."

"Noted. Have you talked with the Chief of Police?"

"Yes. He is under the assumption we are MI5."

"Take her phone to tech. Perhaps we'll get a number to trace."

"And you, sir?" Gawain asked.

"I'm going to give Evie more time with her thoughts. If she is going to join us, now is the time to convince her."

* * *

Back at the evening party in Prague, Roxy had gotten Mr. Strome to buy her a couple of drinks. Little did he know how well she could handle her alcohol.

"What did you say your name was?" Chet Strome asked in a heavy Norwegian accent.

"Hannah. I'm a Londoner."

"Ah, these servers pour heavy, I remember your name now." He joked, his hand resting on Roxy's leg as he leaned into her. "What say we get out of here?"

As he leaned in, his hand slipped farther up her thigh and traveling dangerously close to her concealed weapon. His breath was all vodka and cranberries; he couldn't even handle a straight drink.

As Lancelot seduced the Callisto agent, Bedivere stealthily took surveillance photos with his glasses as he turned about the party. Walking over to the balcony, he observed the quiet streets below with the elite party to his back.

"Galahad. Status."

"I've hacked into Chet Strome's information. The company he works for is part of a long line of shell corporations all posing as a conglomerate of developmental sciences and advanced technologies. I had to do some diggin' but it's there."

Galahad's voice spoke through Lancelot and Bedivere's comms. There was a break as Bedivere assumed Galahad was searching deeper into Mr. Strome's secret life.

"Good news, the base of the shell conglomerate is here, in Prague."

Bedivere nodded, his back still towards the party. Taking a glance up at the rooftops where Galahad was positioned, Bedivere caught a fleeting glance at a computer glare from one of the uppermost, darkened windows.

"Galahad, watch the computer light. Lancelot, manipulate the asset into taking you to the base."

As Bedivere returned again to face the party, Galahad mumbled something about 'tossers' and Lancelot was feeling Mr. Strome up. From the looks of it, the unassuming man-turned-terrorist was ready to leave the party and seek other accommodations.

"Oi, I've found somethin' else. Looks like this shell conglomerate is closely tied to Calisto."

"That is the point, Galahad," Bedivere said, nearly rolling his eyes.

Lancelot chuckled, which she explained to Chet as her being ticklish.

"Well, yeah, obviously," Eggsy shot back. "But this is the central Calisto. From what I can tell, they're using this place to store all their hard-copy evidence and files along with the backup web-storage. Look, mate, I think we just struck gold."

"Lancelot," Bedivere mumbled as he walked out of the party.

"Let's get out of here, Chet," Roxy said, wrapping her arms further around the man. She was practically sitting in his lap and from what Bedivere could see, Mr. Strome was a few steps past tipsy.

" _Helvete_ , where you want to go?" He slurred in his Norwegian accent which was getting heavier with each drink.

"Do you work in an office?"

* * *

After Roxy had successfully convinced Chet to take her to his office, Eggsy looked up the address and confirmed it was the conglomerate they were searching for. Bedivere stayed on the street corner outside as Galahad broke in and Lancelot distracted the Calisto agent.

"I'm in position." Eggsy said as he picked the lock and crept into the file room.

"Lancelot is distracting Strome. You have 10 minutes to retrieve the file."

Not wasting a second, Eggsy found the aforementioned file. Opening it, he saw a profile of a Gwenivere Daniella. Before he had the chance to close the cabinet and leave without a trace, Eggsy spotted a second file directly behind Evie's.

Elaine Daniella.

"Galahad, have you found the file?"

Eggsy stuffed both the files in his jacket and informed Bedivere the mission was a success. Down the hallway, the sound of a door drunkenly being slammed open echoed through the deserted building.

"Lancelot, Galahad has the file," Bedivere said through the comms.

"You know, Chet, I better be leaving." Roxy's voice rang through Eggsy's earpiece.

"Darling, no, no. How about more wine? Hmm? Red or white or both? I think you'll have both."

Ignoring the interaction between Chet and Roxy, Eggsy made his way out through the labyrinth of cubicles and office rooms, hoping Roxy would do the same.

"Meet me at the rendezvous point, Galahad," Bedivere ordered.

And so Eggsy did. When they met up on the street corner, Bedivere was coordinating with the pilot on the estimated time of departure. Staying hidden in the recesses of the shadows of the night, Eggsy waited next to Bedivere for Roxy to extract herself from the situation, and from the sounds of it, Chet was about to have his drunken arse handed to him.

Bedivere sighed, turning off the receiver of his comms, Eggsy did the same as he expected Bedivere's next words, but Roxy's voice still sounded in his ear.

"Is there anything new on Evie?" Bedivere asked, distracting himself with the wiring of the laptop Eggsy had used for search and surveillance.

"Nothing much," was Eggsy's reply.

"Lancelot mentioned you stayed overnight with her," Bedivere looked up from the wiring and stared directly into Eggsy's eyes, a slight accusing look irradiating from the Kingsmen's countenance.

The comms had been muted on Bedivere and Lancelot's end during the beginning of the party, so Eggsy was naturally caught off guard with this turn in the conversation. It was at that moment Eggsy realized the man in front of him was also in love with the petite flower girl. Eggsy liked to think of Elaine as _his_ Elaine and _his_ flower girl, but no amount of charm could ever truly make Elaine confined into a box that small, but it seemed to Eggsy, at that moment, that Bedivere had every intention of cutting her down and placing her in a vase to set in a window sill.

"And what's that to ya, mate?" Eggsy challenged, returning in the subtle accusations swimming in Bedivere's eyes.

Scoffing, Bedivere set the laptop on a bench next to him.

"I just would like to be assured that she's in the hands of a gentleman," Bedivere said. The subtle hint of accusations grew into a glare, to which Eggsy forcefully returned.

"Trust me, I'm handling her jus' fine and being with a gentleman isn't something she's normally accustomed to."

Just as he ended his rebuttal, Eggsy saw he had added the final straw to the camel's back. There would be no coming back from this point and oddly enough, as Bedivere's fist landed on Eggsy's jaw with a violent crack, there was a satisfaction in him at winning the battle of the gentlemanly composure.

Knocked back a couple steps, he straightened up. Wiping the blood that oozed from the corner of his mouth, Eggsy contemplated the man in front of him for a moment.

"Right," Eggsy said, flashing forward to return the punch.

Before they knew what was happening, both the Kingsmen were tumbling in the streets of Prague during a sensitive mission, dishing out blows that could break bones. Dodging a punch, Eggsy kicked Bedivere's knee and when he fell to the ground with a pained shout, Eggsy raised his fist.

Breathing angrily through clenched teeth, Bedivere grabbed Eggsy's foot and tugged him to the ground, as well. Eggsy, while Bedivere was attempting to stand up on the knee Eggsy had kicked, lifted his leg up and hit Bedivere in the nose with his heel.

Yelling, Bedivere was forced to back up several unstable steps, his injured knee obviously throbbing. By the time Eggsy had gotten back on his feet, Bedivere was already wiping the blood pouring from his nose. And Eggsy's face was no less bloody. Shaking the pain away, he put up his fists and was ready to go another round.

"What the hell is happening!?"

Breaking away from the brawl and catching their breath, Eggsy turned to find Roxy furiously glaring at them.

The silence was only broken up by the heaving breaths of the two of them. Eggsy said nothing, just wiped more blood from the side of his mouth.

Bedivere was the first to move. Slowly, and obviously trying to hide the limp of the knee he was favoring, he walked to the curb and picked up the bag carrying the laptop and surveillance equipment. Taking a moment to level out, Eggsy followed, ignoring the glare he was still receiving from Roxy.

The drive to the airport was silent.

* * *

 **Roxy glared at him as she sat down. The pilot had finished her report on the plane and left for the cockpit. They would be taking off soon and still, little to nothing was spoken since the fight. Nevertheless, Roxy continued to glare at Eggsy as she sat directly across from him.**

"Wha'?" Eggsy said indignantly, holding the pack of ice to his jaw.

"You just had to go and stir up trouble," Roxy said, crossing her arms.

"Well, he was the one who started the whole feckin' fight! And it's his own bloody fault."

Roxy scoffed and leaned away from him, a scowl trenched deep into her expression. She had convinced Bedivere to explain himself and all he said was 'Evie deserves better than him'. Roxy could only assume one thing.

"You swore to me that you didn't sleep with her." She thought her glare was at full force, but she wished it would go a shade more intense.

"And tha' was the bloody truth!" Eggsy answered louder than he had meant.

Roxy stared down Eggsy for a long moment. Looking back at Bedivere, who was still nursing a broken nose, Roxy sighed and turned back to the blonde Kingsmen sitting across from her.

"You cheated."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did, Galahad. The rules of the Knights are strict and you broke them. You've lied to your fellow Kingsmen, became infatuated with a mission asset, and fought one of your comrades. This behavior goes against everything you swore to be when you took the oath to be a Kingsmen. Now you tell me, are you a cheat?"

Eggsy tossed the ice pack to the seat next to him. He guessed he had better be thankful it was Roxy dishing this out to him instead of Merlin.

"I'm a bloody cheat." Even to his own ears, Eggsy sounded utterly dejected and about as un-knightly as a bloke could be. Too defeated to meet Roxy's eyes, Eggsy stared at the discarded ice pack on the seat next to him as Roxy walked to the opposite end of the plane. When she settled in, Eggsy sighed and picked up the two files he swiped from the Conglomerate file room.

The first was Gwenivere/Evie Daniella, and the second was Elaine Daniella. Upon closer inspection, both were listed on each document as sisters.

Twin sisters.

Eggsy looked up and took a deep breath, realizing what the full implications of this would be. The Kingsmen had the wrong sister, Evie was out in the world with dangerous information and Elaine was back in London with a potentially deadly target painted on her back. Below Evie's name, a LOCATION UNKNOWN was marked in red. Below Elaine's name, the location given; LONDON. Callisto had the intel the Kingsmen lacked, and there was without a shadow of a doubt, a very serious threat against Elaine this very moment.

* * *

As the plane that carried the three Kingsmen taxied, Elaine sat in the interrogation room in the London precinct unsure of what was happening.

Standing up for the third time, Elaine approached the mirror and thought about banging on it. Each minute that passed felt like hours and she wasn't entirely sure if she was in trouble or not, though she had faith in Mr. Thomson to defend her. However, the door finally opened and a suited man in black horn-rimmed glasses entered.

"Good evening, Ms… Daniella, is it?"

Elaine went back and sat in her chair. The man did the same.

"Have you found anything?"

"Yes, fortunately, we were able to find and disarm the bombs."

Elaine leaned back in her chair, able to breathe freely for the first time in hours.

"What I am more concerned about, however, is you."

The man pinned her down with his sharp gaze. Something told her that the last thing she wanted to be was his enemy.

"Me?" The restricting rush of panic coiled around her chest once more.

"How did you manage to retrieve such information, Ms. Daniella. I find it unlikely a flower girl has the connections needed to know when and where a bomb is going to be."

Elaine stuttered but fell silent. As she faced down the man, she got the distinct feeling she was definitely in trouble.

"Like I told Mr. Thomson, I got a call."

"From who?"

"I don-I don't know."

For a moment, Elaine thought her stutter gave her away, but the man across from her seemed to let it slide.

"What do you know about Callisto?" He said suddenly.

Elaine scoffed at the idea she could provide information on anything he didn't already know.

"They're a terrorist group. Bad stuff."

"Tell me everything you know; your connections, alliances, locations, and I'll offer you full immunity for any case built against you."

"I'm sorry?" Elaine scoffed, staring down the suited man. "You what me to… spill information on terrorists?"

"Ms. Daniella," The man in the horn-rimmed glasses said, "we know who you are and your unfortunate history with Callisto. As I said, I am offering full immunity and asylum to you and in the wake of current events, you'd do best to accept. We both know what you're up against."

Elaine gaped at him in bewilderment. She shook her head and laughed uncomfortably as she stood up and walked to the door.

"You have the wrong girl."

Just as she opened the heavy metal door, the man spoke up behind her.

"Gwenivere, you'll never survive out there."

Elaine's hand froze on the door handle. For a moment, all she could see, all she could feel, was the cold metallic bite of the handle she had her hand on.

This is what happened to Evie. This is the Birchwood her sister was warning against. Though Elaine couldn't figure out if Birchwood was the terrorist group or the man sitting behind her.

One of them meant death.

Elaine's hands shook as she turned back. The cryptic eyes beneath the dark horn-rimmed glasses saw through her, waiting for an answer.

"Stay away from me," Elaine said harshly. She walked out of the interrogation room as calmly and confident as she could, trying desperately for her hands to stop shaking.

"Elaine," Mr. Thomson stood and stepped towards her.

Determined and unable to stop lest she cry, Elaine ran past Eggsy's Uncle and pushed past the entrance into the streets. Once she was out of the Precinct, she ran as fast as her legs would carry her.

Turns out her legs carried her to the piers. There were a couple of people walking around, but Elaine felt like every single passerby could see her lost eyes. After a moment or two of worrying about everything, terrorists included, Elaine deflated and walked to the edge of the pier.

Taking her shoes off, Elaine sat at the edge and dangled her bare feet over the edge. The water below her was gray and cold and the autumn wind made her shiver. Resting her chin on the lower railing, she looked out into the Thames. The rusting metal below her chin felt the way her heart did: gross and flaking apart. What was Evie doing? Thousands of miles away caught up in something as dangerous as terrorism. It didn't make sense.

"Elaine?" A voice called behind her.

Bringing her feet up from dangling over the water, Elaine shifted to look back and find an elegant woman in a deep red velvet dress and overcoat staring back at her.

"Stacia," Elaine stood to face her.

She had been so caught up with the sea of thought that the approaching click of Stacia's Louis Vuitton heel slipped past Elaine's notice.

"I haven't seen you at Vafara's. Feels like a fortnight."  
"Oh… well," Elaine began lamely, "I guess I've been busy with this and that."

Elaine's bare feet shifted on the pier's wooden boards, the loose pebbles squishing between her toes.

"Where did you run off to? That day you came in?" She asked. She wasn't harsh, exactly, but Elaine saw the disappointment slopped in Stacia's shoulders and eyes as she crossed her ballerina-toned arms and stared Elaine down.

Elaine attempted to step back, but the metal railings of the pier stopped her. She tugged at the hem of her sweater.

"I guess I got cold feet."

"Cold feet are for weddings, not wedding designers." Stacia's hands came down to rest on her hips as the scowl became more prominent on her face. "Elaine, you embarrassed me. Mrs. Tulle doesn't waste her time and I talked you up like the bloody tosser that I am."

"I'm sor-"

"No," Stacia said. "No, I… oh, forget it."

Stacia stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket and walked off into the twilight streets.

As Elaine watched Stacia walk off, she knew she should have chased after her. She should have begged her to listen and ask for a second chance at an interview but it had been weeks since that day and there were bombs in the Parliament houses and terrorists disguised as twin sisters.

Deflating with every breath, Elaine walked over to the pier railing. Her canvas shoes still sat at the edge. The cold water still brought the cold breeze.

Elaine didn't feel any of it.

Grabbing her shoes from the ground, Elaine yelled nonsense as she threw them into the water below. They were light and didn't make the satisfying splash she was hoping for.

So she kept walking. She didn't know where she was going but she hoped her feet would be fine. But unfortunately, she wasn't alone long after the confrontation with Stacia.

"Elaine?"

She turned and found Eggsy standing behind her dressed more casually than she had ever seen him. He was only wearing a pair of standard black sweatpants and an old black zip-up sweater.

"How did you find me?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"My uncle called and said you jus' ran off! Elaine, what the hell were you thinkin'?! Tha's dangerous and immature."

Maybe it was just her projecting her craziness on the man standing in front of her, but Eggsy seemed more serious than she had ever seen him. His hair was tousled and a light bruise was darkening on his forehead and there was something about seeing him in sweats that made Elaine want to curl up and run away from the world. But, it looked like he wanted to run away, as well.

Nonetheless, Elaine was reeling internally. Her night was seven different kinds of crazy and she didn't need her confusion with Eggsy added to the list no matter how good he looked. And she didn't care what he said, she knew he was in a relationship.

"This is none of your business and why should I care what you think?" Elaine huffed before turning and walking away.

She continued walking along the path, ignoring the way her toes were losing sensation and how the bottoms of her feet were scraping against the pebbles.

"Tell me what happened," Eggsy said, catching up to her with a few easy strides.

"Nothing," Elaine was going to sock him in the jaw if he didn't leave her alone.

Eggsy let out a humorless laugh and ran his fingers through his hair.

"You're unbelievable! Can you, for one second, stop being so feckin' stubborn an' talk straight to me?" He said, stepping in front of her and not letting her pass.

"Like you're one to talk, asshole!" Elaine yelled. She stood up on her toes to drive her point in. "I know you and Roxy are together."

"We are not together!" Eggsy yelled back.

"Alright, Galahad!" Elaine scoffed, shoving him away. It was petty of her, but Elaine ignored the heavy feeling inside her and walked past him.

"Wait, jus' slow down, what can I do to help you?"

"You can tell me what the hell you want from me!" Elaine yelled. Her feet were cold against the London streets.

"I want you to stop runnin' away! You're better than tha' and you know it."

"Excellent plan, call me a coward and then I'll listen."

"I'm not callin' you a coward!"

"Yes you are, you-"

"Stop puttin' words in my mouth!"

"Stop interrupting me!"

"Oi!"

A light turned on in one of the darkened windows along the street. The pane was opened and an old lady with curlers leaned out and gave them both a dirty scowl.

"Stop ya yellin' or I'll call the Bobbies!"

Eggsy reached up and ran a hand through his hair again.

"My apologies, ma'am," Eggsy called up.

"Yea, apologies my arse, you toff."

The window slammed shut and the light dimmed back to darkness like the other windows.

Elaine stood for a long time in silence. Neither of them brave enough to break the tension so Elaine turned and walked away again.

"Wait."

She ignored him and kept walking.

"Would you jus' listen to me?"

Elaine kept the wall of silence up.

"What's your plan, Elaine?"

Unable to let his words go, Elaine kept walking away from him but answered with a scowl he couldn't see.

"My plan is to do what I do best and run away," she said.

"Then run away with me."

Elaine turned.

Eggsy, who was following her a few yards away, stopped and stood there looking at her, waiting.

"Sorry?" Elaine said. She must have heard him wrong.

"Run away with me, Elaine," Eggsy said, closing the distance between them. Even though he had traded his tweed suits for the plain black sweats he was currently wearing, Elaine got the same warm butterflies in her stomach and the sudden urge to be wrapped him in his arms again. "Rome, Paris, Vienna, Lima. Christ, I'll even follow you across the pond to Minneapolis. You pick. Let's just run."


	9. Paris

**I'm so sorry! I know this update came later than usual, but I've been having some really frustrating computer problems that are now, thankfully, resolved. I've been posting updates now and then on my profile and feel free to message me about when the next update is. I also need to get a beta. I don't know how to go about that because this is my first fic and I'm unsure of the procedure so if you know how to do that, be kind and help the most tech-savvy person on this site!**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

"Thank god, that took forever." Elaine sighed, walking out of the French terminal alongside Eggsy.

"The flight was only an hour and a half." Eggsy adjusted his pack on his shoulder and the bag in his hand as he wrapped his free arm around Elaine's waist. The embrace was light and Elaine knew he held her in a way that gave her the option of walking out of it, but his touch only brought her closer.

"Every flight is an eternity when Paris is at the other end." Elaine remised as they walked, leaning into his side.

It was already nightfall once they stepped out into the Parisian streets and into the misty night; as night air tends to be. Elaine was looking forward to a leisurely vacation, but there was still the tugging sensation in her mind telling her that even if she was running with a companion, it was still running. She also had the suspicion that Eggsy was also running away from something. She hadn't brought it up in London, but there were bruises on Eggsy's face and tired bags under his eyes. Elaine had also noticed that he favored his left side just a bit. She had brought it up as they were boarding their plane, but he had deflected it with his usual charm. She hadn't brought it up since.

"Have you been here before?" Eggsy asked.

Elaine pondered the shadowy cityscape before her. The rush of sparse midnight traffic down a block and the general urban atmosphere generated the feel of just another city, but memories from her last trip trinkled at the back of her thoughts.

"Once. And not under the happiest circumstances."

Evie's sad eyes flashed in Elaine's mind. She would stand by her statement; every flight is an eternity when Paris is at the other end. Especially so when it is dread that stretches the hours.

"Well, how do you feel this time?" Eggsy asked.

Elaine let out an easy sigh of content. This was not the Paris that had swallowed her sister. This was the cinematic, the romantic, the bustling city of light and love. She dropped his hand and grabbed a lamppost and span around it. When she faced him again, Elaine wrapped her arms around the lamppost and rested her cheek lovingly against its cool metal as if that singular streetlamp was the entirety of Paris.

"I'm happy. Very, very, happy." She said with dreams in her eyes.

Elaine paused in her admiration of the city and the man in front of her when she saw the warm gleam that had settled into Eggsy's eyes. Silently, Eggsy set down the luggage, strolled the few feet between them, and kissed her.

The kiss started slow and once the surprise left, Elaine smiled into his lips and threw her arms over his shoulders to bring him all the more closer to her. It was one of those kisses that, even though it was the first between them, carried the sparkling taste of future kisses, and as their lips and tongues danced together Elaine saw all of them.

When they broke apart, Eggsy still held her waist and Elaine still held his shoulders. She caught a wisp of a smile on his lips.

"I was wondering when we were going to do that." Elaine murmured.

Eggsy laughed, setting his forehead against hers.

"Me as well, love."

Laughing together at their mutual infatuation, Eggsy shouldered their bags and he and Elaine continued along the sparsely traveled, midnight streets.

"Where are we going?" Elaine asked after a few blocks.

"I haven't the faintest clue."

"What, you didn't make a full itinerary for our spontaneous Paris excursion?" Elaine mused.

"That would be no fun. Would it?"

Laughing again at him, Elaine bumped his side with her shoulder and made the choice to fully embrace the spontaneity of the trip.

So, they just walked. It had to be past midnight and even when the occasional shady stranger passed them and the shadows cast by the streetlamps stretched across the cityscape, all Elaine could feel was warm and protected beneath Eggsy's arm. After a few blocks, they passed a pub. Or was it a cafe? Book lender? Elaine didn't know what to call the nook but the lights from the interior; which was occupied with a small crowd of laughing night owls. Just peering through the window beside Eggsy, Elaine could see some of the occupants sipping from tea mugs and others drinking from heavily poured glasses of wine. Nonetheless, it was obvious that the intimate group with was just that; intimate. Eggsy asked if she wanted to go in, but Elaine declined.

"They look happy." Elaine observed.

The group remained oblivious to her and Eggsy.

Just outside the cozy nook was an old radio playing what Elaine assumed was a Sidney Bechet song.

"Do you want to dance?"

"Right here? Right now?" Elaine asked, a bit thrown by his proposition.

"No better time, eh?"

"Alright." Elaine shrugged, returning the playful gleam she caught in Eggsy's eyes. "But I'm not dressed appropriately so this is only a practice dance."

Eggsy chuckled, taking her hand and twirling her towards him.

Neither of them had time to put together a suitcase of closer, each of them grabbing a few off hand outfits without really planning for the days ahead. They were too drunk on each other. So, as they danced, Eggsy sported a wrinkled suit he had worn on the plane and Elaine wore overalls that were too big for her and a wrinkled cami below to match Eggsy's wrinkled suit. But for all it was worth, they were each transcendent in one another's eyes. The wrinkles and engulfing denim fading away as the music became a dreamy mist that coiled around their ankles and slipped up their spines.

He wanted to freeze this moment. Right here dancing with Elaine beneath the streetlamps and overhanging ivy tangling along the rusty Parisian balconies above them outside the glowing, cozy nook nestled and hidden from the rest of the city. The night had a way of sewing it all together. It had seemed to Eggsy they had danced this dance every night he could recall; the way their forms melded to one another couldn't be an accident and in the time it took to waltz to a single song outside the pub, Eggsy knew he loved her. There was no other way to describe it. Her head on his shoulders, her lips close to his heart, she melted into him. Elaine was like a song, her swaying with the night a melody he couldn't quite grasp; so he kept her close and repeated whatever visions and memories he could catch of her.

They were too wrapped up in each other to notice the door opening.

"You lovers, come inside. It's cold and not good to kiss in." A stout man with thick glasses said in a heavy accent.

Eggsy looked over to see one of the patrons leaning out the door. Behind him, the entire group had fallen silent and were all watching Eggsy and Elaine dance.

"You up for it?" Elaine asked.

He shrugged and answered the man in French to which the he responded with a warm smile. Elaine laughed and followed him inside, Eggsy following right behind.

" _J'ouvrirai_ _une_ _autre_ _bouteille_." A woman said as Elaine and Eggsy settled together on a loveseat. The woman disappeared in the back. Bottle could be heard clanking together.

"What did she say?" Elaine leaning into Eggsy to whisper.

"She's getting us wine."

"You are- tourists?" One of the women, a mousy one, said. She obviously was searching for the right word and Elaine thank her in silence for breaking out her English for her.

"Yes," Elaine answered. "Though it was one a little bit of a whim."

"Mmh, those are the most fun trips. Oui?" A slightly inebriated man said.

The woman came back with two wine corks in her hands.

" _Rouge ou blanc_?"

The Brunette woman holding the corks was elegant and poise, a true definition of Parisian chic as she wore a sleek blush dress, pearls, and kitty heels.

"I'll have red. You?" Elaine looked at Eggsy, who nodded with her decision. "Rouge, please. Uh, merci."

"I am Chloe." Said the mousy girl who had spoken up before. She sat on the couch next to the love seat Elaine and Eggsy occupied. Chloe nodded to the man sitting beside her. "And this is my brother Clement. We saw you dancing outside and needed to invite you in."

A wave of agreement traveled through the group. A woman with a pixie cut sitting at the opposite side of the central coffee table looked at Elaine and Eggsy with affection.

"I am Nolan." A lanky man taller than the rest of the group spoke. Nolan sat on the only chair out of the two couches and a loveseat. He looked like the partner of the elegant woman pouring Eggsy and Elaine's wine as he sported a neat sweater paired with slacks and sensible shoes. His face lit up as the elegant woman entered the room and gave the newcomers their wine. "And this is my Lena."

Once Elaine and Eggsy had gotten their drinks, she went and sat on Nolan's lap.

"Mon nuage de paradis solitaire dans le désert." Nolan professed in beautiful french.

Chloe pretended to vomit.

"You must excuse Nolan," Clement said, leaning past his sister to talk to them. "He is a poet and spews romanticism whenever he opens his mouth!"

"How can I not, monsieur? When I have the most beautiful woman on my arm." Nolan caressed Lena's cheek that had grown rosy from wine.

The man sprawled out on the couch closest to the engaged couple snorted and rolled his eyes. " _Arrete de te la peter!_ "

The rebuttal won some chuckles from the group and Eggsy as well.

"Ach!" Lena scoffed, jumped up and slapped the man on the arm.

Elaine leaned closer the Eggsy to ask what it meant.

Eggsy shifted to put his arm around her.

"It's a vulgar way to tell someone to stop showing off."

Elaine went along with the playful air of the group and settled into Eggsy. Occasionally sipping her wine, Elaine enjoyed the intimacy of the group and the comfort of this small nook. Eggsy would speak up now and again to contribute to the largely French conversation and Elaine would take those moments to bask in how lovely he spoke.

As the hour passed into the next one, it became apparent how inebriated everyone was becoming.

At some point in the night, between her fourth and fifth glass of wine, Elaine found herself in Eggsy's lap laughing at the people around her. She didn't know when she had moved, but enjoyed the feeling of his arms wrapped around her and the way his chest vibrated as he laughed. Thinking nothing of it, Elaine sank into him.

"You like Bechet?" Lena asked.

"Mmmmh, do I," Elaine's drunken giggles were growing more pronounced which in turn made the others fall into their own fits of giggles. "Bechet is the Rembrandt of clarinetists!"

"To the Rembrandt of clarinettes!" Lukas shouted, raising his glass.

"To Clarinet Rembrandt!" They all cheer with differing levels of articulation.

"I'm a bit drunk," Elaine confessed to no one in particular, but Chloe heard and chinked her glass against her own.

Elaine laughed with the rest of them, keeling over and throwing her head back with wild abandon the way one does in intimate groups such as these. Chloe's snort only made everyone laugh louder until Lukas got up and danced on the coffee table.

"Who wants _plus de vin_?!" Lukas shouted from the coffee table and was answered by enthusiasm.

So Lukas left the room to get another bottle that Elaine wasn't sure they should have, and practice the few French words she knew to Lena and Chloe who were screaming with laughter at her pronunciation. At one point of the conversation, Elaine called Nolan a whore.

Elaine was so caught up with her new friends that it escaped her notice that Eggsy was no longer by her side.

Once Lukas stumbled into the back store room, Eggsy was there. He leaned against the back wall studying the drunken man with mild amusement. At once, the drunken stupor fell from Lukas's face and was replaced by a stern glare.

"What the hell are you doing? Galavanting around Paris with a _jolie fille_? A _civil_?"

"News travels fast." Eggsy sighed.

"It wouldn't be news if it didn't."

"You owe me a favor." Eggsy cut right to the chase.

"This is a dangerous world. I don't know what favors you will ask and I have enough tedious work at the museum." Lukas took out a cigarette and lit it, contemplating the Kingsman in front of him.

"I didn't know curating a museum was so much work." Eggsy challenged.

"Pah! I didn't know tailoring was so dangerous." Lukas shot back with a scowl. "What is this favor you are asking of me?"

"I need a place to stay. Only for tonight."

"Stay here in the apartment above. Conveniently, I am watching over this business while my friends are in Berlin."

"Thank you." Eggsy said. "You seemed a bit tipsy out there, mate, perhaps you should slow down."

"Ach. _Fou._ I like making my friends laugh." Lukas muttered before grabbing a wine bottle and walked out of the storage room.

True to his word, as soon as he stepped out into the group, he belted a drunken tune and the others erupted with laughter.

"I will call you soon." Lena said, kissing Elaine on the cheek.

I was the very early morning and the group was beginning to disperse. Chloe and Clement had already left and Nolan had work in the morning, so the group quickly shrank from then on.

"I would love that." Elaine gushed. "Sorry about calling Nolan a whore."

"Don't! I haven't laughed that hard in ages! We'll meet and you'll be speaking fluent French in a week."  
"I might have to take you up on that," Elaine laughed as she pecked Lena's cheek one last time before they left.

A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and Elaine gladly leaned back into them.

"That was an interesting night," She said.

The room became less bright once everyone was gone. Lukas was upstairs setting up sleeping arrangements and the lateness of the night seemed to catch up to her.

"Yeah, I didn't expect to find this crew."

"Are you sure Lukas is okay with us staying here?"

"Yeah, for sure. Turns out I know 'im. He's a curator for a fancy museum here and I've worked with him for tailoring his suits."

"Then this all works out nice." Elaine mused, turning to face Eggsy and wrapped her arms around his torso.

Just as the morning sun lit the dust on the wooden floors and antique dresser, Eggsy looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes for a moment. In that moment, the world fell away. All the espionage, tension, responsibility, danger; it all melted away and was replaced by the feeling of Elaine sleeping on his arm.

Elaine. Not Evie.

What would come next, though?

He broke out of his spiraling thoughts when the strawberry haired dream shifted next to him, yawned, and rolled over towards him.

"Good morning," Eggsy said, meeting her forehead with his.

She let out a sleepy moan and leaned into him.

"Goodmorning to you, too."

"What do you want to do today? I bought Paris for you."

"All mine?" Elaine mused.

"Better believe it. It cost me a pretty pound, but it's your's."

"How thoughtful of you."

Elaine moved closer and rested her cheek on his chest. She hummed through a smile and rose up on her elbows, one hand firmly on his chest, and thoroughly kissed him.

It started slowly, with Elaine's lips teasing his, but Eggsy wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her closer.

"We could just stay here." Elaine suggested into his kiss.

His arms tightened around her and she squeaked when he lifted her up and rolled them over.

"Whatever you want." He said into her neck.

Elaine giggled something about being ticklish and he laughed back. She tried tickling him back but nothing seemed to work. Once her stomach began hurting from the laughter, her phone rang from the side table at the other side of the room so Eggsy rolled over and insisted she get it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, bitch. Got your message."

Elaine had forgotten she sent Maisey a cryptic text about her travels.

"Yeah, about that," Elaine began.

Eggsy, sensing a conversation about him, rolled out of bed with a smug, knowing smile, kissed her cheek and mentioned going downstairs to find Lukas.

"Ellie?"

Once Eggsy had disappeared and the sound Eggsy's retreating footsteps faded, Elaine squealed into the phone, quiet enough so as to not carry throughout the apartment.

"Guess where I am _right_ now?" Elaine could barely contain the excitement in her voice.

"In a certain gentleman's apartment."

"Wrong. I'm in an apartment in Paris with a certain gentleman."  
Elaine held the phone away from her ear as Maisey screamed through the line.

"Oh my god, you slut! I'm so proud of you! And Paris! How was the sex? Did you go to the Eiffel tower? I bet the sex was amazing, he seems like the kind of guy that knows his way…"

"Maisey, no, no, slow down. We haven't done anything… but he does seem like that kind of guy, doesn't he? Elaine giggled.

"How's Paris?"

"I don't know about the day, but it's beautiful by night. Eggsy asked me if I wanted to go on a spontaneous trip. I said yes, we arrived here after dark and found some company to laugh with and then we slept."

Elaine could hear Maisey's eyebrows raise across the line.

"Fine. We talked all night long… and had a pillow fight."

"A pillow fight? Seriously? You're with a hot British dude in the city of love and you have a pillow fight? Why are we friends?"

"I'll have you know it was very romantic. I won, but I suspect he let me."

Elaine heard footsteps ascending the stairs.

"Gotta go." Elaine said.

"No! Come on! Just one juicy detail."

"Fine. He's a really good kisser, we made out for, like, a century, and everytime he touches me it's like fireworks. There. Bye."

Elaine hung up just as Eggsy walked into the apartment.

"Who wants to explore Paris?" He asked with a gleam in his eye.

While Elaine and Eggsy began planning their day, unfortunate events were unfolding.

The sharp sound of typing filled the silence of the dingy apartment of Jim Meraldo. He had just gotten off the long shift at work and had fallen into a hacking hole while surfing the dark web. Fat, recluse, and bored, Jim had nothing better to do. He was just about to search the assassination listings out of boredom when the sound of a gun cocking sounded not an inch from his head.

"Jim Meraldo," An electronically scattered voice said.

The soda and junk food he had been binging fell to the floor as he jumped.

"What? What! How the hell d-"

"I'm talking." Cold metal jammed into the base of his neck. "A trusted friend told me you delete personal records."

"Yeah, for a few hundred bucks, asshole." His voice shook.

"How about your life?"

Their voice was monotonous and robotic. The coldness seeping out into the room and filling the air with dread.

Jim took a moment to evaluate.

"Fine. I need a name."

"Elaine Daniella."

Thinking about throwing out a few choice curses, Jim obeys and brought up a pretty red-head's information.

"Hot. She an ex-girlfriend of yours?" Fear made Jim say stupid things.

The gun prodded his neck with enough force the break skin. He could already tell it was starting to bruise.

"Delete it." The voice said with more force. "All of it."

Murdering the intruder mentally, Jim deleted the woman's information and carefully tilted the monitor to the attacker to prove that her page had been wiped.

A sharp pain erupted on his temple. Falling forward on his desk, Jim heard the front door close before blacking out.


	10. Natural

**I realize I am a terrible person! I am so sorry for taking so damn long to update but life has been a certain kind of stress (HELLO SENIOR YEAR!) It has also been an interesting experience having beta with me- Thank you Lioni Williams for helping me out and a special shout out to Kiss my Quill for offering to be my beta. I love you both and everyone else who puts up with my shenanigans! I hope y'all enjoy this chapter and continue being such amazing readers :)**

 **P.S. I haven't seen the movie yet so no spoilers. I'm willing to discuss it with anyone when I see it. Just check my profile and I'll update there.**

 **I love you all,**

 **Elizabeth.**

Elaine sat in the corner of the kitchen. The day was still early and everything had a mellow ease and blueish hue. She took an apple from the bowl in front of her and munched on it as Eggsy and Lukas argued in French.

" _Va te faire foutre! Cul._ " Lukas spat indignantly.

" _Te m'en fou._ " Eggsy answered with ease.

Lukas scoffed and waved a spoon threateningly at him, which Eggsy dodged. Elaine just sat and wondered occasionally what they were arguing about. From the sounds of it, they were insulting one another, but in that way very good friends insulted each other. Eggsy leaned against the doorway of the tiny kitchen and hurled more insults at Lukas while he made coffee.

"What are you guys fighting about." Elaine asked, unable to quench the curiosity.

"About how much better I am than him," Eggsy said. "He just keeps admitting how great I am and takes no compliments for himself!"

Elaine smiled at his antics.

"Arrogant _fils de pute._ " Lukas mumbled under his breath as he poured the coffee into three mugs.

Eggsy was dressed for the day more casually than she was used to seeing him, but still handsome, nevertheless. But a more tired kind of handsome. His hair was a mess and there was the shadow of a bruise on his jaw, his knuckled were busted open and the bags under his eyes had receded back and dulled but still visible. Elaine had overlooked his precarious state when they first set out for Paris, but as the shock and euphoria cleared away, Elaine became more aware that Eggsy was running away from London just as much as she was.

"Sweet Elaine, why are you with with bastard?" Lukas asked as he set the first mug in front of her.

She filed away her curiosity of what Eggsy was running away from in the back of her mind and put on a smile for Lukas. What was the harm in playing along with Lukas's charming insults?

"Why shouldn't I be with him?" Elaine asked, turning towards the Frenchmen and feigning concern.

"Ah! I am so glad you asked!" Lukas shouted. He promptly sat down beside her and caressed her cheek. "You don't really like him, right?"

"Oi, who's she been snoggin?"

Lukas ignored the Brit. Elaine decided to play along.

"This dofus doesn't know Monet for fingerpainting! How can he know a beautiful woman from one that is not? Your beauty would have been painted by Michelangelo if he had seen a vision of your strawberry locks. Van Gogh would have cried to see your cheeks peppered with freckles like the starry night sky. Gatsby would do nothing but gaze longingly at your wide emerald eyes. So don't be with this dofus."

Eggsy scoffed.

"Stop it! You're making me blush!" Elaine laughed, covering her cheeks.

"Oi, a'right, I don't like the way this is going, yeah. I think we've better be off." Eggsy said, stepping out of the doorway towards the two of them.

"Shush, I am wooing my second wife." Lukas said.

"Only your second one? How old are you? 27? I don't think you're helping your case, _monsieur._ "

"Yeah, well tha's another reason to stay away from this dog; there's not a loyal bone in 'im." Eggsy approached the table and leaned over towards her with a charming smile. "Whereas I am loyal as a bulldog."

"He looks like one, too." Lukas stage whispered to Elaine.

Eggsy took a dish towel, wrung it and snapped it at Lukas. Elaine started laughing when Lukas began shouting angrily at Eggsy in French. He only got angrier when all that Eggsy responded with was a smug look.

"I think our hospitality as ended, darling." Eggsy said.

Elaine agreed and Lukas said something about English ego.

Eggsy laughed and followed Elaine out the door of the apartment and into the morning air. Just as they had walked out, Lukas said his goodbye and kissed Elaine on the cheek. Before pulling away, Lukas warned her to 'be careful of the tailor. Danger follows him.' She didn't know what to make of the warning but Lukas said it with a smile, though Eggsy didn't look amused.

"French humour." Eggsy mumbled when Elaine asked him about the encounter.

Elaine let the matter drop from her mind and focused on taking in the sights around her.

"What should we do today?" Elaine asked, excitedly pulling Eggsy closer after traversing a block. Eggsy let her tug him with a smile, any unease melting away.

"How about we take a tour of the 12th?"

"I don't know what that means, but I'll follow you." Elaine said, bouncing on her toes.

Eggsy twirled her into an embrace. He set his arms around her shoulders and gave her a lopsided grin.

"Breakfast first." He said.

Elaine wrapped her arms around him, as well.

"Breakfast first." She agreed.

They both smiled into one another's lips and Elaine knew there was no sensation like french kissing a handsome brit while embracing in the crisp morning air of Paris. Everything about the moment was natural. Eggsy's hands running down her back and through her hair was natural. The way his lips pulled at hers was natural. And the way Elaine's heart raced was an exercise she had missed for most of her life. She was perfectly, divinely, naturally, happy.

Elaine knew this was it. She was a taken woman.

They broke apart, staying close enough that Elaine had to tilt her head back to gaze into his eyes. When Eggsy went for another kiss, Elaine started laughing.

"Wha? Is my snoggin' that bad?" He asked, pulling back and trying to look offended.

"Other way." Elaine smiled and rose on her toes to give him a peck on the lips.

He made a funny face which made Elaine Crinkle her nose in amusement and soon they were walking again to find breakfast.

* * *

Roxy had called Eggsy four times. None of the other Kingsmen had seen him and she was starting to get a little worried about the way she handled his actions in Prague. She called him again, checked the video feed of HQ, she even stopped by his apartment, all with no luck.

A couple hours passed and she thought to check airport surveillance. What she found was not good. Of course he would make the idiotic mistake of taking her away. Hesitant to inform Merlin of Galahad's indiscrecion, Lancelot had limited courses of actions she could take. She thought it through in the gun range and finally came up with a solution. And Eggsy wouldn't like it, but it was his own damn faut.

What love did to men.

* * *

"So," Elaine said. They had finished breakfast and were now walking hand in hand through a lovely park settled at the outside of the city. "I think we need to address something."

She avoided his eyes, focusing on the path in front of them. She didn't know what he was going to do and she certainly didn't want to discuss her problems. But they had to talk about it.

"Alright." Eggsy said.

They walked towards a bench planted between two oaks and settled on it, both of them stiffening. The light atmosphere they had enjoyed dissipated and the ease between then stirred.

"I think we both ran away from things. When we left."

Eggsy nodded. The caramel, crinkling trees above them dropped their leaves around them like a halo, adding to the peppering of gold and orange on the path.

"I think we did." Eggsy said, looking forward into the park. "You wanna talk about it?"

Eggsy turned to face her, his eyes searching her own.

"Well… I think," Elaine wrapped her jacket tighter around herself. She was now pinned down under Eggsy's gaze and she couldn't muster the courage to tell him she was a suspected terrorist. Who was actually her sister. And he would side with his Uncle and who ever the creepy guy with the horn rimmed glasses was. "I think Paris and everything has been amazing. But, we're here for the wrong reasons. Just blinded by the freedom of a quick getaway. And, I like you,"

Elaine blushed, not exactly sure where they stood.

"I like you as well." Eggsy assured with a smile, making Elaine relax.

"I like you and want to travel with you for the right reasons. And don't say you weren't running, because I know something's up when you show up with bruises and a limp. So, that all." Elaine ended dumbly.

Eggsy nodded again, shifted his eyes away from her's.

He was probably thinking about why he ran. That's what Elaine was doing. What would he do when he found out the authorities thought she was a terrorist? Was she on the run? Would she be jailed when she got back to London? Was anywhere safe? Maybe she should just end things here and now before they got messy.

Eggsy broke her out of her thoughts when he laced their fingers together and bumped her shoulder.

"You're right. I was runnin' away and I'm sorry this is a botched trip what with this cloud over us. But lemme tell you something; if I were to run away with anyone, it'd be you."

Elaine smiled, bumping his shoulder back.

"This isn't botched. We're having a good time." Elaine assured.

"I guess we are. And I'll try to help with anything you're running away from. You don't have to talk abou' it, but I'm here." Eggsy said, giving her hand a squeeze.

Elaine melted into a pool of butterflies at Eggsy words and suddenly everything didn't seem so catastrophic. Before she became too sentimental, she cleared her throat and looked over the city before her.

"Isn't Paris a city of museums?"

"Tha's what I've heard." Eggsy said, shifting to grab her bag from the ground in preparation to leave.

Elaine smiled, grabbed her purse and his hand and began walking with him back towards the city.

* * *

Eggsy and Elaine sat together outside the Louvre and watched the crowd in front of them. They had spent an hour or so walking through the exhibits, Elaine amazed both by the artwork and Eggsy's surprisingly funny commentary. But once the crowds go too overbearing, they headed out and sat by a fountain bundled in their jackets and Eggsy quickly decided they needed coffee, which Elaine was all for. So she sat by the fountain and watched Eggsy buy their beverages.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and, assuming it to be Maisey, answered it without checking the caller id.

"Hey, Maz."

"Lainey."

Elaine jumped up, her heart racing and her chilled shivering replaced by hot rage.

"Why the hell are you calling me, Greg?" Elaine demanded, her voice shaking.

"Where are you?"

Elaine let out an incredulous scoff. Eggsy was walking back and Elaine had no idea why she hadn't just hung up as soon as she heard his voice. But she wanted him to know she was angry.

"None of your fucking buisness." Elaine kept her voice down, but Eggsy had gotten closer and quickly caught onto the panic in her voice.

"You need to listen to me, Lainey. You're in trouble."

Before she could muster a response, Eggsy set down the coffee and put his hand on her back, concern shading his eyes.

"Is it Greg?" He asked. "Lemme talk to him."

"Is that the brit?" Greg asked aggressively. "Tell him I wanna rematch. Bastard tore my shoulder out."

"Good. You deserved it, asshole." Elaine managed to bite out. Her hands were now shaking.

Eggsy held his hand out and Elaine thought be would be a better voice of intimidation to scare away Greg. Elaine handed Eggsy her phone and he immediately put up a cold expression.

"I think I've made myself pretty clear, mate." Eggsy said, the harshness in his voice sounding foreign.

Elaine wrapped her arms around herself and attempted to listen to the other side of the line, but it was too faint.

"Obviously she's in danger if you're still after her." Anger started to work it's way into Eggsy's shoulders. "Well, that;s bloody fine 'cause we're outta the country at the moment… like bloody hell… well I'm more than qualified to protect her so sod off."

Eggsy hung up and gave the phone back to Elaine. Anger rolled off him in waves and Elaine worried about what the call meant.

"He can't get me." Elaine said, more to herself than him.

Elaine stared at the phone, waiting for another call to light up the screen. Eggsy wrapped his arm around her waist and handed her the coffee.

"He can't." Eggsy reassured. "Let's just move on."

After walking for a bit and letting the situation dissipate, Elaine considered Eggsy with a curious smile.

"So, you're more than qualified to protect me?"

Eggsy grumbled something and took a long sip of coffee.

"Can you define 'more than qualified' for me?" Elaine asked, smiling when Eggsy gave a rubbish answer that was clearly fictional.

"Super secret spy mode. I see." Elaine joked.

Eggsy laughed with her, but there was a feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her that something was off. But she ignored it.

* * *

Bedivere filed papers in the archive room in the basement of HQ.

His father had been an archivist and avid historian, so the smell of old card stalk and the deep narrow corridors of cabinets and shelves had a calming affect on his tight nerves. It had been two days since he fought Galahad in Prague and Bedivere almost considered apologizing. Almost. As of yet, Galahad had steered clear of him and Bedivere wouldn't have it anyother way.

Although, a lack of an annoying Galahad meant he was most likely preoccupied by Evie; which seemed far worse that dealing with the nuisance himself.

Shaking his head to get back to work, Bedivere once again dived back into the heaps of redacted files and folders of intel. He didn't mind the work. After all, he had started at the Kingsmen as an archivist and the remembrance of new beginnings and nights helping his father was mind clearing.

It was 1:26 am. The worry clung to his stomach despite the mellowing job. Thoughts of terrible things happening to his loved ones bubbled up to his ears and spilled out his eyes and made him abhor even the idea of sleep. So he ignored to bubbling, clawing worry and focused on the task at hand.

He set down his last file when the metal door to the basement opened and the clicking of heels followed. Below the harsh, fluorescent light, Roxy entered.

They were silent for a moment, Roxy studying Bedivere in his sleepless state and eyeing the desk cleared of files.

"You need sleep." She leaned against the desk he sat at and leveled him with a worried look.

"I count redacted sheets of intel, not sheep." Bedivere sighed, running his hands over his face.

"Then by the looks of it, you should be sleeping like a rock.

There was a heavy silence between them as Bedivere pulled at the cord to the desk lamp.

"What's Galahad's status?"

Roxy shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Bedivere's eyes.

"I came here to console you, but I guess you don't know." Roxy said.

The weight behind her words making Bedivere's stomach clench. He rose with a slow gravity out of his seat.

"Know what?"

"Galahad ran away to Paris with Evie."

Bedivere took a moment to compose himself internally. Ignoring Lancelot's protests, he called the pilot and went to pack his bag.

* * *

In the middle of the day in Amsterdam at an unremarkable hotel that was tucked away in the corner of the city, a woman entered and requested a room. Like the hotel, the woman was unremarkable. Small, dark hair, and carrying one mager bag on her shoulder, the woman walked to the front desk with a slow, confidant gait. She leaned against the counter as she waited for the attendant to find her a room.

"Name?"

"Theodora Wyndham."

"What brings you to Amsterdam?" the attendants asked as he handed her a file to complete.

"The flowers. Tulips, really." The woman answered, giving the attendant a hesitant smile, like she wasn't accustomed to showing warmth to people.

"Very good." he said, dropping any pretense to conversation as he put in a room on the computer. He took the file, typed a few things into the system, then handed her a key with directions on where to go.

Once she got into her room, she collapsed on the bed, opened her laptop, and checked the site she had been following for the past few days. Looking over the information provided a couple of times, she sighed before opening up her bag, pulling out a gun. She would need to clean it soon. She looked back at the site.

 _ELAINE DANIELLA. LONDON. 800,000$. Dead or Alive._

Every other digital existence of her target had disappeared except this one. Teddy Wyndham would rektify that.

Huffing, she clicked onto another page.

The airfare from Amsterdam to London was nothing compared to the 800,000 that would soon be transferred into her account. Without hesitation, she bought a ticket then spread out on the bumpy bed. Starring at the ceiling, she wondered what Elaine would do once she got to London.

"Goodbye, Ms. Daniella."


	11. Unnatural

**Here is my next chapter... a million years later... I'm sorry for the delay, but Senior year is kicking my butt. I'll try to update more frequently, but unfortunately the majority of my energy needs to be focused elsewhere.**

 **Hope ya'll enjoy this one!**

Elaine woke with a start. She jolted straight up in bed, her racing pulse beating against the sheets and the sheen of sweat over her growing cold. The remnants of the nightmare clung to her skin beneath the tangle of sheets and ebbed up her spine, cracking the nerves as it went. The gun was still pressed against her temple, Evie's unforgiving eyes still uncaring, and Elaine still trying to remember the words Evie spoke to her in the nightmare.

Elaine took a shaking breath and attempted to ground herself in the here and now, which was a hotel room in Paris, Eggsy sleeping beside her.

"Hey," A sleepy voice said.

Elaine relaxed as Eggsy ran a hand down her back. Where once there were cracklings of fear running up and down her spine, there was now a warm, soft hand tracing her. She turned and studied him. There was sleep lingering in his eyes, which was soon replaced by worry.

"You alright?" Eggsy rasped, sleep in his voice.

Elaine looked around at the room. The hotel was in a quieter part of Paris and the hour was early, so there was a blue hue to the room, silence surrounding them save for the occasional car on the street below. A chill crept over the uneven and scratched wooden hotel floor and crawled up into the bed.

Elaine shivered. The bed shifted as Eggsy sat up.

"Elaine,"

She leaned into him and he pulled her back down to the bed. Elaine buried herself in Eggsy's arms and closed her eyes.

"Bad dream?" He asked.

Elaine took another shaky breath and clutched Eggsy closer as he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

She could still feel the terror at Evie's rage drowning her and dragging her down. The image of her sister murdering her would disappear.

"Terrible dream."

There was silence between them, save for the stable beating of Eggsy's heart beneath her ear. Elaine focused on the drum hidden in Eggsy chest and tried her best to relax into him and forget everything outside of their rented room.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No. I just want to forget. It was just a dream." Elaine said, drowsiness slipping into her voice.

Laying against him was reassurance enough to keep her safe and relaxed. Eggsy said something else about being open to talk, but Elaine promptly fell asleep against him.

The second time Elaine woke up, the room was much brighter and the air had warmed. Eggsy brought breakfast from the bakery across the street and had gotten the tea she liked. They ate together, Elaine lounged in Eggsy's lap and laughing as he threw a fifth grape in his mouth. They went on and on laughing at each other. It was nice; Elaine's legs draped over the arm of the chair and leaning against Eggsy.

"Let's stay here forever," Elaine said.

"I think you would get bored of me."

"Never." Elaine moved closer and kiss him lightly.

"What now?" Eggsy asked.

"Well, I need a shower," Elaine said, moving past him and throwing her shirt at him before disappearing into the bathroom.

Eggsy ran his hand through his hair once Elaine was in the shower. He let his head fall back against the chair and stared up at the ceiling.

"What the bloody hell have I gotten myself into?" He asked himself.

They were going home today. The resources he needed to keep Elaine alive were in London; even if he wouldn't be the one protecting her. There was no way Eggsy was staying on the mission. He might not even stay in the Kingsmen for this type of indiscretion and insubordination.

Eggsy closed his eyes and all he saw where Elaine's emerald eyes above him; her strawberry locks falling over her shoulders and her freckles peppered beneath her emerald eyes, dancing as she laughed.

Standing up the stretch, Eggsy walked over to the window and looked out across the street. The cafe was empty save for one man.

He had coffee in front of him and an umbrella by his side. He wore a crisp tweed Savile Row suit and a stoic expression.

"You've got to be takin' a piss." Eggsy mumbled. He should have expected him sooner rather than later, though.

Putting on his own wrinkled suit, Eggsy quickly made himself look somewhat presentable and left the apartment. Hesitating, he walked up to the table Bedivere sat at and pulled out the opposite chair.

They were silent. Bedivere took a sip of his coffee. Eggsy wondered if Bedivere was thinking about throwing it in his face.

"Bedivere,"

"Don't." Bedivere quipped. His stoic eyes continued to stare past Eggsy. He looked tired; there were bags beneath his eyes. "I stuck my neck out for you, you know. I trusted you, we made a deal."

"It's not what you think."

Bedivere pounded the table.

"Of course it fuckin' is." He snapped. His coffee mug shook. "They're gonna get rid of you. Soon, I hope."

Eggsy decided not to argue. Instead, he just sat there.

"Just do us all a favor and resign from the Kingsmen while you still have a shred of your dignity."

"Ya know, mate, you're not exactly sounding like a Kingsmen now, either. If you'd just fuckin' listen to me, you'd know th-"

Bedivere flipped the table and planted a right-hook into Eggsy's jaw.

Knocked to the ground, Eggsy let it soak in that his own idiocy had once again gotten him into trouble. Taking a glance at Bedivere, Eggsy guessed the beating wasn't done.

"Get away from him!"

Bedivere forgot Eggsy and his gaze softened as Elaine came running up, but there was still a fire of anger in his eyes. Elaine quickly kneeled next to the Eggsy once she was close enough.

"Go back to the flat." Eggsy said, standing up and rubbing his jaw.

"Like hell," Elaine said. She stood and contemplated the man in front of her in anger before yelling at him. "Who the hell do you think you are? Just attacking someone?"

Bedivere floundered. He didn't say anything, he just stood there speechless; confused, lost, and hurt.

"Ev-"

"Leave." Elaine snapped.

She tried to put as much force behind her words as she could and to her surprise, the man turned away with an empty look, grabbed his umbrella and walked off.

"Oh my god! What the hell was that? Are you okay?" Elaine reached up, wrapped her hands around his bruising jaw, and pulled him closer to inspect the damage. "Who was that psycho?"

"Just someone I've managed to royally piss off." Eggsy said, rubbing his jaw again.

They walked together back to the flat.

"Well, did you deserve that punch?" Elaine asked carefully, not wanting to have yelled at a stranger for nothing.

"No… yes… I let him think something. I should have just…" Eggsy couldn't manage to figure things out.

"Okay. What did you let him think?"

"I'm pretty sure he's in love with this woman. He's never said straight out that he does but it' obvious. An' he thinks I slept with her. Stole her."

"First of all; this woman isn't a damn object or prize. If he never said he loved her and they never had an exclusive relationship then what's his claim on her?" Elaine asked angrily.

"I don't got an answer for you, love." Eggsy said.

"God, men are so possessive."

"For good reason." Eggsy said with a wink, pulling her closer.

Elaine rolled her eyes and bumped his shoulder.

The bruising side of his jaw caught her attention and once more she lapsed into gushing about how unfair and hurt he must be. For some reason, her worry was funny to Eggsy. He said he had been hurt far worse before and that she shouldn't worry.

But Elaine didn't listen.

"Let's go ice that. It going to be a nasty bruise."

* * *

Elaine was at the airport. She was sitting in a lonely gate of the terminal with Eggsy by her side. She looked over at him; he was reclining against the back of the uncomfortable chairs resting his eyes. A smile touched Elaine's lips.

The memories of late nights, and kisses, and Paris had her questioning how a trip could feel like forever and yet had you wanting to stay for another forever. Elaine went back to their first kiss in the very first hours of their adventure.

Elaine leaned over and gave Eggsy a kiss.

He opened his eyes and looked at her with a smile.

"Wha' was that for?"

"For our spontaneous trip. I loved it." Elaine said, leaning into him and closing her eyes. "It was unexpected, but I loved it."

Eggsy relaxed beneath her.

"I think we both needed it."

Elaine was silent.

"I'm sorry you're walking away with a bruise, though."

"Yeah, well, I probably deserved that, love."

"You started the trip with bruises, too," Elaine said carefully, she opened her eyes to look at him.

They hadn't talked about why they ran, not really.

"Is the man from this morning why you were running?"

Eggsy ran a hand over his face, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"Yeah, part of the reason. There are more people who, I'm sure, would like to give me a shiner. All that's waiting for me in London is attacks I won't be able to stop.

"My twin sister is a terrorist and the London police think I'm her."

They were silent. The only sound between them was the echoes of the airport PA system at another gate and the rush of travelers.

"Why are we going back?" Elaine whispered.

"Because responsibility is a bitch, but punishment is a bigger, uglier bitch."

Elaine slid back in her chair until her head rested on the back. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"Amen to that." Elaine kept her eyes closed.

Suspicion washed over her.

"You don't seem too surprised by the fact that my sister is a terrorist and the government is after me."

Eggsy froze, Inhaling through his teeth and turning to her with a guilty look.

"Eggsy," Elaine warned, sitting up.

Eggsy put his elbows on his knees, covering his face with his hands.

"How do you know my sister is a terrorist? Shit, are you _actually_ a spy!?"

"No! No. My uncle. He told me something was up and that you knew about a bombing and I talked to the man who interrogated you and he warned me to stay clear of you."

Elaine relaxed. Well, she relaxed as much as one could in her predicament.

"And how do you know about Evie? My twin?"

"I guess I just made the connection that the Bobbie called you Evie and you've told me about problems with your sister. I just figured you didn't want to talk about it."

Elaine fell against the back of the chair and pulled her knees up and tucked her legs beneath her.

"So, you're not a spy?" Elaine asked, her cheek pressing against her shoulder.

"I… that remains to be inconclusive."

"You jerk," Elaine laughed, punching his shoulder.

She resumed her cuddling next to him too quickly to catch the guilty look flashed across Eggsy's face.

"I don't want to go back," Elaine whispered. "I heard Spain is beautiful this time of the year. Maybe even Norway."

"We'll protect you. Me and my uncle will protect you. I'll be damned if you get thrown in jail for your sister's mistakes." He shifted in order to put his arm around her.

"Yeah, well, I led a horse to water," Elaine mumbled to herself.

* * *

When Eggsy dropped Elaine off at her apartment, it was past midnight. Like the gentlemen he was, he insisted on carrying her bag, which made Elaine roll her eyes endearingly at him. They were both tired, so they kept a comfortable silence between them. Elaine reluctantly got out her keys and opened her door. Hershel mewled loudly from somewhere in her dark apartment.

"So that concludes our trip." Elaine mourned, lingering in the entrance of her apartment as Eggsy made to leave.

He didn't leave though, he just stood there lingering as she did. Elaine looked down at her hands and tugged unsurely at her sleeves; biting her lip as Eggsy stepped closer. He took another step so their toes were touching and the electric tension between them coursed through her. Maybe this was their chance.

Eggsy kissed her, his hand pulling her in by the small of her back and her own hands ran up his chest. It was the kind of kiss that took breaths away, though that seemed to be every kiss she had with him. Elaine was just about to pull him into her apartment when he suddenly pulled away.

"Goodnight, Elaine." Eggsy whispered.

He lingered a moment longer before shaking his head with a smile and stepping away; breaking their gaze.

"Night," Elaine whispered as he walked away.

* * *

Eggsy sat at the end of the conference table. He clicked his pen anxiously against the mahogany table as he waited for his fellow agents. Unfortunately, Bedivere arrived first. He sat down at the other end of the table and ignored Eggsy politely; polite in the sense that he didn't stare daggers.

"Bedivere," Eggsy said.

The other agent showed no sign of hearing him.

"It's not what you think." Eggsy said hopelessly.

"Yes, you've said," Bedivere said coldly.

Eggsy huffed and sat back. He heard the others out in the hall and soon Roxy was storming in and heading straight towards Eggsy.

"What the hell, Eggsy?" She fumed. "I tell you to clean up your act and you decide to take Evie to Paris?"

"Elaine," Eggsy corrected.

"No, Galahad. Her name is Evie. Gwenivere Daniella. And if you can't discern those two, then you are more messed up in the head than I had thought."

Merlin walked in, looking more stoic and severe than usual.

"You are on a very thin wire, Galahad. I'll let you explain, but you should know you are a mistake away from termination."

Eggsy nodded, leaning over and grabbing the file that lay in his bag, he faced the other agents and stood up.

"Evie is still missing. Elaine is the one in London."

He gave the file to Merlin for him to go over and sat back down.

Merlin spent a long time looking through everything included in the file. Bedivere and Roxy remained silent. After a time, Merlin stood up and began pacing the length of the conference room.

"How could we have missed this?" Merlin asked himself. "That was a good move, running to Paris. I just wish you would have included your team on the information."

Merlin set his palms on the table and looked through the file again.

"In light of this new information and your apparent affection for her, this mission is out of your hands, Galahad. Elaine will be moved to a safe house as soon as it can be arranged."

"That isn't necessary, Merlin," Eggsy spoke up.

"Which is it, Galahad? You love her or you want her to die in the street?" Merlin snapped.

After that, Eggsy kept his mouth shut.

Bedivere was about to speak up, looking completely lost. Merlin handed him the file.

"See as how there is no information to be had from Elaine, we need to pool our forces into finding her sister. There's no use keeping our distance from Elaine. Lancelot, secure a safe house."

Roxy nodded, pulling up information on her tablet.

"What is the status of the team stationed across the street from Ms. Daniella?"

"Active," Bedivere answered.

"Have them pulled, I want them on the search for Gwenivere."

Bedivere nodded.

"Lancelot?"

"I'll get right on organizing the safe house." Roxy stood and left, but not before giving Eggsy a sad look.

"Bedivere, gather a team and start the search for Gwenivere immediately."

Bedivere nodded and left as well.

Then it was only Merlin and Eggsy left.

"The fact remains, Galahad, you are on a very thin wire. Since your current mission has become irrelevant, you will be posted in Milan for surveillance until further notice. I expect you to depart in two days."

Eggsy nodded.

* * *

The next morning, when Theodora Wyndham got to London, the first thing she did was scope out her target. Elaine was walking out of her flat, too focused on her jacket button to notice anything around her. Theodora would have to memorize her schedule, her habits. But that wasn't much of an obstacle.

Looking away from her target, Theodora was distracted by a small group who were moving out of the apartment across from Elaine.

Theodora knew Kingsmen when she saw them.

Biting back the anger, she took a breath and observed that they appeared to be leaving. An observation that would have her life in the next few day considerably easier.


	12. Goodbyes

**You guys are amazing! I want to thank everyone who is following me and whoever has left me a comment and just for everyone reading my story! It's kind of weird it's been a year since I first posted, so Happy anniversary! I hope you guys like this chapter**

"Have you found a safe house for Elaine yet?"

"Not yet," Roxy said. "It would appear that all of our safe houses are either occupied or compromised. Only a few have been compromised, but it's still enough to cause a problem."

They hadn't addressed everything yet, so there was an awkward tension in the air that Eggsy didn't feel particularly excited to bring up.

"Do you know the details of the Milan mission?" Eggsy asked.

"Sit, watch, and don't get in trouble." Roxy quipped.

"Right," Eggsy sighed. He walked into that one.

Silence passed between the two of them.

"Eggsy, are we ever going to talk about what happened?"

"Nope."

"Eggsy," Roxy prodded. "Bedivere."

"There's nothin' to talk about. I've gotta cut all ties. Me and Elaine were nothin' at all."

"You can't stuff it down and pretend you don't love her."

"Because there's nothin' to stuff. I don't love her."

"That's rubbish," Roxy said. She knocked his shoe with her umbrella.

"It's a bit strange that it hasn't snowed yet, isn't it?" Eggsy said, standing up and started pacing away from Roxy. "I mean it's December first. Tha's weird. It should be snowing, right?"

"Fine. I'm going to go figure out housing issue and you can call me when you inevitably come crashing down because your pining love for Elaine has driven you down into a spiral. Good day." Roxy promptly left.

The door closed with a resounding thump and Eggsy reprimanded himself for the situation.

"Alright." Eggsy said to an empty room. "I'm not in love."

* * *

At the other side of London,

"What are your plans for tonight?" Maisy asked.

"I'm trying to decide between Project Runway or conspiracy videos."

Hershel cowled and padded over to the kitchen where Elaine was dipping apple slices into peanut butter. Chomping on one, she opened her crappy laptop.

"Is that even a question?"

"For you it is. You know Project Runway beats everything."

"That's bullshit and you know it. Sure watching a bunch of pretentious asshole designers knit shreds of tulle together is entertaining, but those conspiracies feed that curious monster deep in your gut. Is Hillary Clinton a lizard? Is there a subterranean civilization in the Earth? Is Beyonce a clone? Do the Kingsmen exist?"

"Wait, the Kingsmen? I've never heard about that conspiracy."

"It's not as interesting as lizard people or planet X, but I thought it would intrigue you. Not many people talk about them, but I found this obscure YouTuber who has a video on it started snowing over there, yet?"

"No, but who are the Kingsmen?"

"Just these guys that kill people with umbrellas. We have snow in Duluth, it's weird it isn't snowing in London."

"Yeah, well, when is it not snowing in Duluth? I'm intrigued by these Knightsmen."

"Kingsmen."

"Whatever, I'm curious and bored so tell me a scary story."

The phone crackled as Elaine guessed Maisy was holding it against her chest. Elaine heard her muffled voice say hi to her fiance.

"Me and Daniel are going to see a movie, but I'll talk to you later."

"Send me the link to that Kingsmen video, I'm curious."

"Aha! Gotcha! Looks like the conspiracy videos have won over Project Run-Away."

"Hope the movie is boring." Elaine quipped.

"Later, bitch."

Elaine laughed and popped another apple into her mouth. Her laptop binged as the link to the video popped up in her inbox. Looking at her TV and computer, her curiosity for conspiracy won out and Elaine clicked the link.

 **The Kingsmen: The Organization the Government doesn't want you to know about…**

Intrigued, Elaine opened the video and as it was gearing up, a photo of a gentleman in a suit and glasses was holding an umbrella like a gun with blood splattered over him.

"What the heck?" Elaine asked herself.

The video barely got through the first few words of the conspiracy youtuber before Elaine's laptop glitched, lagged, and finally shut down.

Elaine grumbled, hitting her computer before slamming it shut and pushing it to the side.

"I guess Project Runway wins."

* * *

Eggsy was given the file on his mission. There was a memo from the Kingsmen pilot about new safety regulations and speculations on where potential Callisto hideouts were. It was all standard stuff.

Unable to concentrate on anything, he started ambily walking around, unsure of where he was going. Merlin was pulling the team from Elaine's street, Evie was missing, Elaine could be in danger, Milan was pretentious, and his ribs still stung from his fight with Bedivere who, by the way, hated him. Add the fact that Roxy was just about done with him.

And Elaine was slipping away.

There were enemies with and around him. What would he do?

Since Eggsy was too caught up in his spiraling thoughts, he didn't take notice of where his feet were leading him until he looked up and there Elaine's apartment stood.

He always seemed to come back to Elaine. She was his safe place.

She was his safe place even before the mission. Back when he would go out of his way after work just to flirt with the pretty flower girl on Columbia Street who knew trivial facts about flowers.

He missed her already.

Deciding it wasn't worth the fight, Eggsy climbed her steps and stood in front of the door that would lead to her.

* * *

Elaine just sat down with a bowl of popcorn and Hershel on her lap when there was a knock. Suspicious, Elaine walked towards the door and looked through the peephole to see Eggsy standing on the other side. He seemed to know she was looking through because he made a funny face. Elaine smiled and unlocked the door.

"Hey, stranger." Elaine greeted.

"Mind if I come in?" Eggsy asked.

"Depends." Elaine feigned seriousness.

"On…" Eggsy asked.

Elaine waited dramatically before laughing at herself.

"I don't know. I was trying to think up something witty to say, but I've got nothing."

Elaine opened the door for him and walked into her apartment. He closed the door behind him and followed her inside with a laugh.

"Do you want to watch Project Runway with me?"

"Project what?"

"Runway. Its an American show about fashion designers competing for fashion lines and stuff" Elaine explained as she split the popcorn with him. "It's very dramatic."

"I'd love to." Eggsy said, taking his jacket off and giving Hershel a scratch behind the ear.

Eggsy settled into the couch and Elaine leaned into him. Herschel climbed all over them as Eggsy pulled her into him in what now felt like a natural embrace.

It wasn't long before they had both finished the popcorn that Project Runway was forgotten and they began talking about anything and everything.

"I'm sorry, how long have I known you?" Eggsy asked.

"Oh, months. Since the beginning of summer."

Elaine was now reclining against the arm of the couch with her feet resting on Eggsy's legs.

"And I'm just finding out now you have a flip phone?" He said incredulously.

Elaine just shrugged. She leaned over the arm of the couch and grabbed her phone out of her bag from the floor. Smiling, she handed it to Eggsy.

"Wow. That is… wow. I truly can say I've met a Luddite."

"I'm not a Luddite!" Elaine gasped with a laugh. "I just think technology is scary and the Illuminati is slowing taking over the world with each new iPhone."

"So, a Luddite." Eggsy said. "In Paris, you didn't have one."

"Just a temporary, My phone was cracked so it was sent in."

Elaine bumped his shoulder.

"And I'll have you know the iPhone X has facial recognition that is probably being archived by some creepy, hidden-meta-government organization."

"Alright. Sure." Eggsy said, giving her a teasing roll of the eyes.

"You sound suspiciously like you are a part of one."

"Part of what?"

"One of those creepy meta-government things… Because you're a spy." Elaine teased back. "More wine?"

Elaine once again turned away before she could see the guilt lying heavily in Eggsy's eyes. He was wondering what the hate in her eyes would feel like when she found out. But he pulled out an easy smile when Elaine came around the couch and gave him his glass.

"Okay, this is the good part." Elaine said, her attention turned to the tv.

Failing to stay focused for long, Eggsy and Elaine were laughing again, asking each other ridiculous questions.

"What's your celebrity crush?" Elaine asked.

"No, no, it's your turn, love? The one thing you've always wanted to do, but are too scared to do."

Elaine wiggled in her seat as she sat up and crossed her legs. She wanted to give him a good answer.

"Hmm. In the US, there are these country roads that branch out from freeways that you just know lead you somewhere beautiful. Meandering miles and miles leading to who knows where. I've always wanted to turn down one and just drive until I saw the ocean."

"Why haven't you?"

"Have you seen the gas prices? And I've always been too busy with life."

Eggsy contemplated her with serious eyes.

"Okay, now time for the real questions. Do you think you can handle this?" Elaine wiggled her brow.

"Try me." Eggsy challenged.

"So, I'm curious," Elaine paused for dramatic effect. "When did you first know you liked me."

"From the first moment I saw you."

"No! I'm serious!" Elaine pushed him.

"Alright, alright. I ain't gonna change to a different memory, though."

Elaine agreed.

"So, it was probably a few weeks after we met. It was at Columbia street and you were wearing this dorky cat jumper."

"I will have you know, that 'dorky' cat jumper is my favorite one," Elaine laughed. "And that isn't the reason, dufus."

"I also love that jumper! Anyways, you were buried in your sketchbook. It was the last days of summer, so your hair was tied up and there were flowers weaved into your bun. I walked up and you were so entranced in your work you didn't see me."

"Hmm. I'm okay with this memory. I'll let you keep it."

"You obviously don't remember that day."

"Why not?"

"Because when you finally realized I was there, you yelped and fell off your stool. You were so embarrassed your cheeks turned the color of the roses in your hair."

"No! I remember! I demand you pick another time."

"Nope." Eggsy said, satisfied.

"Ugh. I guess you were a gentleman about it. I remember you trying not to laugh. I can't believe you." Elaine poked Eggsy's chest.

"Sorry, luv. But I'm just being honest." Eggsy said. "How about me?"

"I don't remember." Elaine said sheepishly.

"That's rubbish and you know it. Come on, I don't mind if it's embarrassing."

Elaine wrapped her arms around her knees and gave Eggsy a challenging smile.

"I'll tell you tomorrow."

Eggsy tried to challenge that, but he graciously let it slide.

* * *

"I haven't seen you in a while." Elaine said.

The tv was off. It was late and Herschel slept on the darkened window with his paws draped over the edge of the sill.

Elaine was lying on the couch, her head in Eggsy's lap while Eggsy's arms sprawled over the back of the couch.

"It's only been three days, love." He said, his eyes closed and head relaxed against the couch back. His jacket and shoes were tossed in the corner and Elaine yawned

"Well, it felt like forever." Elaine complained.

"It did."

"I want to stay here forever." Elaine whispered, her eyelids were growing heavy and Eggsy was too comfortable.

"Mmkay." Eggsy mumbled. "Sounds like a plan."

His fingers weaved through her hair, she wasn't expecting it, but she hummed contently as he almost unconsciously wound her strawberry strands around his fingers. Elaine shifted to look up at him in a way that let him still stroke her hair and saw his eyes were closed and he was still reclined against the couch. He looked younger, free. Elaine wanted to reach up and run her own fingers along his jaw, through his hair, down his chest, but she was too tired.

"Eggsy," Elaine whispered.

"Hmm." Eggsy mumbled after a moment.

"I love you." Elaine mouthed.

He hadn't heard her, just stayed relaxed beneath her. He was asleep. But she needed to say it, even if he couldn't hear it. She shifted to lay on her side, her face smushed against his leg. Herschel jumped down from his perch with a cowl and trotted over to Eggsy's jacket and promptly fell asleep on it.

"I love you, too." Eggsy whispered.

Elaine's heart stopped for a moment, but it mellowed as his fingers continued weaving through her locks. It was natural, the two of them. It was simple as that.

Elaine smiled, and pressed her lips against his leg.

* * *

"Elaine… Elaine…"

Someone was shaking Elaine as she slept. She grumbled and turned into her pillow. A hand fell on her shoulder and turned her over.

"Hey, wake up." Eggsy said.

He was kneeling by her bed. When she grumbled again, he smiled and brushed some hair out of her half-slumbering eyes. Still drowsy, Elaine smiled back and turned towards him.

"I have to go," He said.

"You could stay," Elaine countered.

He smirked. It was dark and she couldn't make out everything, but his warm energy wrapped around her like a blanket. He was a safe place in her chaotic life; all she wanted was to be wrapped up in his arms beneath her warm blankets and fall back asleep.

The bed dipped as he laid next to her. Elaine snuggled next to him and wrapped her leg around his.

"I'm going away for a while." Eggsy said just as Elaine was about to slip into sleep.

"Mmkay. As long as you come back to me."

Eggsy remained silent after that, staying with her as she fell asleep.

* * *

There was dust on the window sills and chairs wrapped up in sheets; the Kingsmen obviously hadn't been overly invested in their stay. Yet there was nothing of use except the window with a view towards the apartment across the street.

Gun set on the counter and boots left by the door, the abandoned apartment's new occupant was settled in.

"This guy. Again," she mumbled.

The recurring Kingsmen was becoming annoying.

She had planned to grab Elaine today, but the blond nuisance had to come in to see her. She wasn't capable of taking on a Kingsmen, not with the weapons she had. She couldn't show her face, either. They would recognize her immediately.

So, she would wait. He couldn't stay in London forever.


	13. The First Snowfall

**Alright, so this chapter is going to be a ride. Being that it is my longest chapter I've posted, I've packed a lot of stuff here and I hope it isn't too much. That being said, I've really enjoyed writing this and I hope you guys enjoy it just as much as I do. Also, I'm working my butt off for this story so I hope to be posting more frequently, especially now that class is out. Yay! I've been thinking about posting a one-shot about how Eggsy and Elaine met and I'll share it if there is want of it. Let me know if you guys would be interested.**

* * *

Elaine woke to an empty bed.

She was expecting as much, but nevertheless, ran her hands over the cold sheets next to her and thought it would be nice if Eggsy were by her side.

Rolling out of bed, Elaine meandered to the window where Herschel lounged. Running her hands over his back, she leaned her forehead against the cool glass and contemplated the street below.

"Still no snow?"

Herschel bit her finger before cowling and jumping down from his perch and proceeding to stride his way to the kitchen.

Twisting her sleeves around her fingers, Elaine pushed away from her window and followed her cat. As her bare feet padded across her creaky wood floor, Herschel knocked against her ankles and rolled along.

To her dismay, however, all that greeted her on her kitchen counter were bills she couldn't pay and a sad, wrinkled apple.

The flower shop paid her next to nothing and Elaine was running out of her savings. Soon, she would have to do the unthinkable; move back with her parents.

Not that they would notice if she were there.

"Do you think I could be a stripper?" Elaine asked her cat.

He blinked slowly at her, waiting patiently at his bowl.

"Yeah," Elaine mumbled as she knelt down to fill his bowl. "I'd fall on my bankrupt little face."

Sighing, Elaine turned to make her own breakfast. She poured some cereal that was probably stale into a bowl and opened the fridge to get the milk. The contents shook as the door opened. Glass mustard jars and cans of half-used sun-dried tomatoes sat here and there, but no milk.

"Great. Just a dry bowl of stale cereal. Nice." She groaned, closing the fridge.

The only reply she got was a disinterested cowl from Herschel.

But there was a convenience store just down the road. Grumbling as her stomach complained, Elaine shrugged on her coat and walked out the door.

Descending each step, an itching fear crept upon her as the presence of the darkened window of the apartment across from her loomed over. The dreary morning weather darkened the entire street and in the distance dark thunderheads loomed as they billowed up in the sky. Sheets of rain could be seen falling on another part of the city so the dark shadows cast on the apartment fit the stormy atmosphere.

Having never really considered that apartment (even though it was directly across from her) Elaine just assumed it to be vacant. But she hesitated on the last step leading from her apartment and stared into one of the darkened windows. She was never one to be paranoid, but there was an unmistakable feeling of eyes watching her and as Elaine peered into the apartment longer and longer, it became apparent that the dark outlines of a figure sat at the window.

Watching her.

Fear laced through her lungs like barbed wire and Elaine turned and ran up the steps to the safety of her apartment only slammed the door behind her.

"I guess I'm having dry cereal," Elaine said to no one.

As she was eating, she managed to convince herself it was a trick of the light. Or what if someone was spying on her? Would that be _such_ a terrifying thing? But Elaine couldn't shake the connection she felt, that the figure had locked sights with her and was swooping in.

"And I am going crazy," Elaine said to the cat in her lap.

Looking to distract herself, Elaine grabbed her laptop to see if it was ready to cooperate. Opening it, the display screen glitched, then brought up her normal home screen

"At least you're working fine."

With the way her computer had been working, she'd have to get a new one. Not that she had the money for that. Slapping her screen a few times managed to get her email up and running. Finding the video Maisy had sent her, Elaine opened it and clicked play.

The thumbnail of the video was the youtuber cheesily looking at a superimposed photo of a handsome man in a suit. Shrugging, Elaine had nothing better to do.

"Hey guys, yes. I'm back." The youtuber ToriMysteriorsi began.

The conspiracy youtuber was a poster child for all the other con-tubers out there; Instagram makeup, dollar-store skeletons in the back, blue ombre hair, a wispy voice that listed the conspiracies and internet mysteriousness available at her fingertips. Elaine felt the nerves in her spine fade as she listened to all the funny, sometimes scary stories ToriMysteriorsi told.

"The next thing isn't as scary as some of the other groups on our list, but still disturbing; The Kingsmen. So, supposedly, the Kingsmen is a section of the government that is so elite and dangerous that most of the government- and the world- don't know about them. Their token signatures are always nice suits, black-rim glasses, and black umbrellas. Now, you may be thinking to yourself; attractive guys wearing nice suits and umbrellas. What's the harm in that? Well, what if those umbrellas were _guns_?"

It was at this point that ToriMysteriorsi stopped to let that soak in with an almost comical expression.

It was also at this point that Eggsy seemed to sound like a Kingsmen. But how many people wore suits, glasses, and carried umbrellas?

It was silly to think of.

Shaking her head, Elaine returned her attention to the video.

"I am going to show you a video of one of these 'Kingsmen' caught on camera… murdering someone." The youtube led up dramatically.

The screen went black and returned with what looked like surveillance footage from a gas station. The Kingsmen appeared to be arguing with the owner when he pointed his umbrella at him and the owner fell to the floor.

"Now, I know it was hard to see since the footage isn't that great, but there was definitely a kickback to the umbrella and something shoot out so fast you can barely tell from the tip. I mean come on you guys; that's a gun."

The youtuber replayed the clip slower in order to emphasize the kickback and projectile the umbrella was producing and the sickening look of pain on the owner's face.

"And there is more."

Elaine forgot her cereal, once more feeling a creeping fear crawl up into her stomach and lace up her spine.

Eggsy wasn't a Kingsmen. He just wasn't. This whole theory was probably wack, anyway.

"As it turns out, the store owner was a Class A war criminal. And what constitutes a class A criminal are crimes against peace; so think Pearl Harbor or planning ways to start a war. It's not as serious as crimes against humanity, but still, this guy might have deserved a bullet to the brain. But, anyways, this umbrella murderer must have had some type of authority if he was able to just pop a bullet in a head without a flinch."

Elaine pictured the once harmless umbrella that sat at Eggsy's side practically every time she saw him.

"These guys are also known to wear glasses that people think are recording and giving them information."

Again, Elaine thought of Eggsy's glasses.

"But it gets even _scarier_ … Who leads the Kingsmen. People are saying the Illuminating is controlling them, or they're the actual government and the government we see is fake. Or… the Kingsmen are all lizards that are trying to take back their planet."

Elaine laughed. There was the conspiracy video she was expecting. The youtuber laughed and rolled her eyes at the camera.

"Now, do I actually believe the lizard/Illuminati theory? No. But it's still fun to think about. But I do believe there is something strange happening with suited men wearing glasses and carrying umbrellas."

Meaning Eggsy.

Elaine knew she should turn off the video before she read too much into the evidence.

"There is one last calling card of the Kingsmen." ToriMysteriorsi said.

Elaine's willpower was too weak and as her mouse hesitated over the exit bar, she waited for the last piece of evidence.

"The insignia of the Kingsmen in a golden horizontal K in a circle."

A drawing of the insignia popped up on screen and Elaine felt her blood turn cold. There was no mistaking it.

Eggsy was a Kingsmen.

Elaine slammed her laptop and shoved it away from her.

"Nope. No, no, no, no, nope, absolutely not. Elaine… you are paranoid."

After that, Elaine spent the rest of the morning paranoid, skittish, and understandably upset; but before she could spiral down a hole, she always managed to talk herself out of the realization. ToriMysteriorsi was a conspiracy youtuber, after all.

She thought taking a shower would calm her nerves, but the hot water- hot to the point it was steaming- refused to relax her muscles. Stepping out of the shower with a robe and her hair in a towel, Elaine contemplating calling Eggsy to ask him.

But what about his umbrella? Would he kill her?

"No. Elaine, you're a paranoid idiot." She told herself resolutely.

The night before is what calmed her nerves; him sitting with her and playing with her hair, talking all night and him staying with her as she fell asleep. They had confessed their love. Why would he hide something like that? It wasn't possible to hide something like that.

Taking a relaxed breath, her muscles and heart calmed with the memory of all the good Eggsy had been to her.

"This is simply a bad case of cabin fever," Elaine explained to Herschel. "I need to be surrounded by flowers. And buy milk."

* * *

Ignoring the prickling sensation at the back of her next, Elaine walked out of her apartment towards the subway. Adjusting her scarf, her eyes were stoutly kept in front of her and she would be damned if she let stupid superstitions lock her up in her cramped apartment.

Well, she wouldn't keep her cramped apartment if her financials continued the way they were.

Running behind schedule, Elaine jogged the last stretch of the city block to catch her transport and her scarf bobbed up and down as she rushed to catch the train. Her Doc Martens sloshed in the quasi-snow mush that was left over from the night before and splashed up on her daisy embroidered jeans.

Slipping in just as the doors closed, Elaine caught her breath and slumped against an empty seat. Leaning her head against the window, she put her earbuds in. Relaxing, Elaine ignored the world around her, losing herself in the feeling of the tracks and the melodies swimming between her ears.

The doubts diminished, losing their grip in the music.

"Eggsy loves me," Elaine mumbled to herself, smiling.

She let that thought surround her, the silly conspiracies falling to the nearly forgotten edges of her mind. The way he smiled, how he kissed her, made her laugh, couldn't be a faked.

He was real. And he loved her.

Elaine leaned forward and smiled into her scarf.

Sighing, she looked forward and was unnerved to see the man sitting across from her was staring at her. Shooting him a standoffish look, Elaine was about to say something, but then he leaned back with a smug grin.

"They fooled you, love."

Elaine reeled internally while she stared back at the stranger. The clank of the tracks a rhythm beneath them and the other passengers keeping to themselves besides this one creep.

"Alright." Elaine really didn't want to deal with creeps.

"Yeah. They got you fooled," He said.

The man was missing a tooth and had the distinct smell of weed surrounding him.

"I heard you. Thanks." Elaine gathered her things and made to move to another seat.

"The Kingsmen," He drawled.

Elaine froze.

"They got you, yeah, they got you." The man laughed like it was all a joke the world was in on.

Too jarred to say anything back, Elaine slung her bag onto her back and found a different seat at the other end of the train. Hands shaking, her breath shallow and weak, Elaine looked back at the stranger and he seemed to get a gleam out of knowing she was scared.

He rose his hand, pointing his fingers at her, and made the gun motion children made.

"He's crazy. Or I'm hallucinating." Elaine tried to convince herself.

If her heart rate was anything to go by, she failed at convincing herself.

* * *

She watched Elaine walk out of the tube. Her face was pale and even from a distance, her hands were visibly shaking. Eyes locked on the ground in front of her, Elaine was completely oblivious to the world around her.

"Done. Give me my money." The man said.

She stepped back to avoid his reeking marijuana breath and reached into her pocket to give him a thick wad of cash. The man ran through it quickly before smiling and looking back up at her. He nodded stuffed it in his own pocket.

"Who are the Kingsmen?"

"Does it matter?" She asked.

The Kingsmen wouldn't be a problem, Elaine wouldn't call them for help. That's all that mattered.

"For an extra couple pounds, I'll follow her,"

Turning, she opened her jacket enough so the gun strapped to her waist was visible.

"Do that, and you won't have kneecaps."

Slipping past the man as he blubbered a half-assed apology, the woman dissipated into the crowds unseen.

* * *

Tripping over her own nervous feet when she walked out of the tube, it took a strong mental jolt to remember that Elaine needed to go to the Greenhouse.

"Because Louise is in Surrey." Elaine reminded herself.

Still shaking, she walked the familiar route to the gardens and gradually released her hold on her anxieties. Though it turned out to be a rather herculean task. The shiver of fear still shot through her; it made her want to shut down, to fly back to Minneapolis and forget London and Eggsy and everything that followed her.

Elaine was letting go of her tense shoulders until she bumped shoulders with a woman crossing her path.

"Elaine!"

She nearly passed out seeing Roxy standing in front of her in her suit. Elaine's eyes immediately jumped to the umbrella she carried and the words of the creep on the subway resounded in her ears.

They had her; the Kingsmen.

Taking a step back, Elaine was too panicked to catch Roxy stepping closer.

"Are you okay? You look pale as a ghost," Roxy noticed with a caring voice Elaine didn't think possible to fake.

That's how terrible these Kingsmen were. Everything was fake, Eggsy was fake and Roxy was fake and her sister was a terrorist and…. Elaine froze.

Mr. Thomson was one of them.

Too caught up in the panic suffocating her, Elaine didn't register Roxy as she tugged her along. She was asking her questions but when Elaine finally realized what was happening, she tore her arm out her Roxy's grasp and took several unstable steps away from her.

"Stay away from me!" Elaine yelled.

Before Roxy had time to say anything, Elaine threw her bag at her and ran.

"Elaine!"

Sprinting away as fast as her legs could carry her, Elaine didn't look back. And she didn't stop until she reached the greenhouse.

Lungs burning, She slammed the rickety door behind her and leaned against the chipped wood.

"I just threw my bag at a murderer. Nice."

Elaine knocked her head against the door when she realized her wallet and her phone _and_ her keys to her apartment were in that bag.

She was at least thankful Roxy didn't follow her. And then there was the matter of Eggsy. She recalled the times she had joked about this and he always deflected with a joke or a quip.

Leaning over her knees, Elaine brushed a shaky hand through her hair and wondered when her life got so annoyingly precarious.

* * *

Eggsy threw his duffle on a dusty chair by the entrance to his new home. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. It smelt funny and he could already tell the heating system was going to be a nuisance if the metallic clanging was anything to go by.

Taking off his jacket and loosening his tie and collar, Eggsy walked to the window and spotted the computer supplier that supposedly was a cover for several hackers working for Calisto. He was given a gun and a camera. Merlin threatened that if he used the gun more than the camera, he would get iced from the Kingsmen.

The sharp ring from his phone sliced through the quiet apartment. It was Roxy.

"Yeah, Rox."

"You need to come back to London."

He straightened, worrying sitting heavy in his stomach.

"Why? Is Elaine okay?"

Possibilities rushed through his mind when Roxy hesitated.

"We don't know, but it appears that someone gave her false information about us."

"What does that mean?" Eggsy asked, already gathering his things.

"I don't know, Eggsy," Roxy sighed. She sounded tired. "I ran into her and she was terrified of me, kept looking at my umbrella like she knew it was a gun."

Eggsy halted. He recalled all the times Elaine had jokingly asked if he was a spy. He also recalled all the times he had blatantly lied to her face. And now she knew.

Eggsy had lost her.

"Are you listening to me?" Roxy asked.

"Yeah, I'll get back as soon as I can."

"One of our private jets is waiting for you at the airport."

Without hesitation, Eggsy ran out of the flat and made his way to the airport. He was in such a hurry that he forgot his tie.

* * *

The sound of water rushing over leaves and petals calmed her. By no means was she okay, but she was in a tranquil state of not really caring. It was like her nerves got to the point where they gave up and didn't register the world.

As she tended to the greenhouse plants, she mulled the possibility of this whole thing being a fluke. Elaine had been under so much stress; her financials were becoming more depressing by the day, she didn't have the designing career she wanted, and her sister was proved to be a terrorist. It's possible her brain pooped out on her and added in a Kingsmen conspiracy just to fuck her up more.

She liked to think that was the case.

Elaine pictured Eggsy, Roxy and herself laughing about this, Eggsy and Roxy opening their umbrellas and looking for the guns she imagined and Roxy laughing as she gave Elaine her bag back.

Her fantasy was disrupted when the sound of a car pulling up reached her. Headlights flittered through the windows which were followed by the sound of a car door slam. The car was still running.

Too scared to look through the window, Elaine backed away from the door.

Heavy footsteps walked up the wooden stairs. It had to be a customer; nothing dramatic was going to happen. Convinced that there was no one dangerous behind the door, Elaine took a step forward just as the handle turned and the door creaked open.

The door knocked softly against the wall and Elaine's breath caught as the looming figure of Greg stood just outside. There was a moment when both Elaine and Greg stood staring at each other, both coiled in suspense of what the other would do.

And just like that, a jolt shot through them both and everything fell into chaos.

Elaine bolted towards the back door, just barely escaping Greg's reaching arms. He shouted at her to listen but Elaine jumped over a stack of soil bags and managed to kick over a heavy pot. Rushing away, Elaine heard Geg stumble over the broken shards of the clay and curse. Not taking any time for granted, Elaine reached the backdoor unscathed and flung it open.

A bleeding hand hit the open door she was about to run through. Just as Greg slammed the door, his arms shot out and wrapped around her.

"Lainey, just calm down!" Greg said as he grabbed her wrists to stop her flailing.

"Like hell!"

Elaine ironically used a move Greg himself had taught her when they were friends. She used his grip on her to kick her legs out and then bring them back down so as to kick in Greg's knees with her heels.

Letting out a curse, Greg dropped her. But Elaine suspected she didn't successfully incapacitate him, just distracted.

Stumbling to the opposite wall, she grabbed a shovel and turned around to hit him. But when she turned, Greg was already too close and before she could do anything about it, his fist connected with her cheek and everything went dark.

* * *

It was the humming of the car that woke her. Convinced she had just been in bed, Elaine was startled when the darkened streets of London were flying past her. And then came the pain.

The entire left side of her face was throbbing. Groaning, Elaine reached up and felt her cheek swollen and tender. The memories of Greg in the greenhouse flooded her mind and her heart sped up in fear.

"Sorry. I had to."

Greg was behind the wheel, his eyes focused on the road. Alarmed, Elaine noticed they were speeding up and exiting London. There was no telling what this would lead to.

"You had to?" Elaine asked, the sarcasm deeply ground into her voice.

"If you would just listen to me,"

Elaine scoffed and leaned against the cool glass of her window. The car was dark and only the hum of the engine and the road beneath them cut the silence. There was a glass bottle by her feet.

"Where are we going?" Elaine asked. She knew it would be futile to tell him to let her go, but if she could work out a plan to get away from him, she could outsmart him.

But he stayed silent.

"I think you owe me an answer." Elaine raised her voice, wincing when it made her face throb even more.

He was silent again. The dark landscape melted away in place of new as the moon shone through the stormy clouds.

"If you want to be a dick, then fine. I just want answers. Why are you doing this?" Elaine was on the verge of angry tears, but she knew she was too tired to bother breaking down.

"I'm saving you."

"Really?" Elaine sighed, slumping down in her seat and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Are you expecting gratitude?"

"I got a call a couple day ago from someone claiming you were being followed. Dangerous people are after you and you're mixed up in things bigger than you can imagine."

"No shit," Elaine mumbled to herself.

A silence paced between them again. Elaine could tell he felt bad about hitting her, but it was all the same in her book. But he was right about one thing; she was caught up in things too big and too dangerous. She couldn't trust anymore. Her sister was a stranger and Eggsy was dangerous. And there she was, trapped in the car, held captive by a man who had formerly been one of her best friends. There was no one to trust.

"I know what you're thinking," Greg said like he had the right to claim he knew her. "You're thinking the brit is going to save you. He's not. The sooner you realize I'm not the bad guy-"

"You're right," Elaine interrupted, ignoring the tears on her cheek as she wrapped her hand around the glass bottle at her feet. "Eggsy isn't going to save me."

In a world where twin sisters were terrorists, lovers were murderers, and ex-friends violated their restraining orders, Elaine realized she no longer had any room in her heart for trust.

Raising the bottle up, Elaine slammed it against Greg's skull. The thick glass shattered with a disgusting crunch as it hit and Elaine felt a drop of blood hit her face. His hands yanked the steering wheel as he fell unconscious and just as his head hit the wheel, everything went to hell. The violent lurch hit Elaine's chest as the seat belt restricted her, the glass bottle with Greg's blood on it flew past her head, her blood froze as she felt herself float as the car rolled.

Then, it felt as if some godly hand reached down into the car, touched her cheek, and then slammed her head against her passenger window with enough force to shatter it.

When Elaine came too, she was hanging upside down. The roof of the truck inches away from her. Elaine groaned as she tried to maneuver herself out of the painfully tight seatbelt. Screaming, she unlocked her belt and felt to the ground, all the while willing herself not to black out again. Turning her head, Elaine looked over at Greg, the effort of which made her want to throw up. She didn't know why she looked at him.

She didn't know if it was out of empathy or a macabre desire.

He was slumped over, hanging by the seatbelt, but still breathing. Blood covered his unconscious face and Elaine felt a pang of regret flash through her.

Focusing on getting out, Elaine squirmed out of the totaled car, broken glass gouging into her elbows as the smell of gas burned her nose.

Pain cracked at every movement, her hair had bits of the windshield in it, and her breath was filled with smoke. Heaving, Elaine finally managed to free herself from the wreckage and laid breathless on the cold ground. She stared up at the opaque night sky, feeling nothing. Lifting up her shirt, Elaine felt her stomach and the sharp splinter of glass that protruded from her. Thick, warm blood coated her hand.

Her hand falling limp to the ground, Elaine closed her eyes. Her body was numb now. She was tired. She was free. Sirens blared in the distance.

Snow started to fall.

Opening her eyes again, Elaine took a moment to notice it was the first snowfall of the year before blacking out.


	14. The recovery

Hello! I'm so sorry for the delay! But I'm here again! So I told you guys that I'm on jterm right now and have loads of time on my hands which **I've been using to work on this story. And I have! But the thing is I'm simultaneously working on like, five chapter at once so the process is slow. But I have so many cool plans and I hope everyone enjoys reading my story as much as I've enjoyed writing it! And a BIG thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, favorited, and PM me. You all are why I write! Enjoy this chapter!**

A strawberry lock of Elaine's hair was wrapped around his finger. Watching her sleep in the soft morning light, Eggsy sighed and shifted closer to her. She was settled into her pillow and Eggsy was content in just taking in her peaceful sleep.

Running his finger over her cheek was like running his finger over a map; the valleys of her cheeks wide and free, the dips and hills of her lips unending, her eyes emerald pools deep and full, and her freckles everything in between.

Elaine shifted when Eggsy brushed a lock of her hair back. Wrinkling her nose, Elaine stretched and peeked over at him with a sleepy smile.

"Goodmorning, love."

Elaine just hummed as she rolled towards him and rested on his shoulder, legs intertwining with his. A peaceful silence hazed over them. Eggsy twirled Elaine's long tresses with his fingers. As they lay silently together, Eggsy realized that they fit perfectly together like the evening sky and the world below; they were two puzzle pieces and they connected without a flaw.

"I feel like we're a million miles from the world," Elaine whispered.

Eggsy mumbled in agreement, too relaxed to say anything.

"Like we're in a snow globe," Elaine lazily traced patterns on his chest. "No one but us. People try to shake us apart but it just swirls the snow. Harmless."

"Harmless," Eggsy whispered.

A warm pool suddenly collected on Eggsy's skin, rolling down and over his bare chest. Elaine's hand had gone still, an ice cold chill radiating from her. Looking down, his chest was covered in blood.

Elaine's Blood.

She was ashen, her eyes rolled up into her skull and Eggsy could no longer hear her once constant breath. Shooting up, Eggsy grabbed her and shook her.

"Elaine!"

Eggsy couldn't get her back; he shook and shook her but the only thing he accomplished was spreading her blood. Taking her pale face in his hands, she suddenly opened her eyes. And her eyes were full of rage.

"You did this to me," she growled.

"No… I," Eggsy sputtered.

"You did this to me!" Elaine screamed.

Her eyes, which had been liquid emerald, were now black and furious. Suddenly, her black eyes embedded in her cracked, ashen skin was all he could see.

Eggsy jolted awake.

There was a thin sheen of sweat covering his skin and the terror of the dream had translated into a relentless tremor in his heart as he sat in the hospital room.

Shaking, the plastic arms of the chair he had been sleeping in groaned in protest of his tight grip. Sliding down in the chair, his fingers ran over his sweaty face and Eggsy wished for a moment for sleep to overtake him so he could see her awake again. Even if she was furious. The beginning of the dream was worth her rage.

Looking up, the sight of Elaine lying still and comatose was a shot in the heart.

He didn't know how he did it, but he managed to stand up and take the few steps to her side. Gently, Eggsy sat at by her side, the bed dipped and her hand slid towards his. For a second he let the illusion she was just sleeping hold together.

"If you wanna rattle on about flowers, now would be the time," Eggsy suggested, his half-hearted smile slipping away as her heart monitor marched on.

She didn't respond. Naturally.

Elaine just laid against the bed, ashen, pale, her sleeping eyes shallow in her face. There were tubes in her throat and tubes beneath her nose and tubes for IV and tubes connecting her to monitors. The rhythmic beating of the monitor the only proof she was living.

She looked dead.

The door bursting open startled Eggsy, but he didn't turn to look, he just remained to stare at Elaine, holding her hand.

"Oh god," Someone sobbed behind him. "Ellie,"

Maisey ran to the bed, ignoring Eggsy, and desperately looked at her friend to find any semblance of consciousness. A man came up behind her and put his hand on her back. Eggsy noticed he looked equally devastated.

"Maisey," Eggsy said, but then stopped when he realized he didn't know what to say.

"What did they say?" The man standing behind Maisey asked. His hands were anxiously rubbing Maisey's back while looking at Eggsy fearfully.

"Medically induced coma. She has a concussion, but thankfully nothing life-threatening. She has a lotta cuts and internal bruises and… well, when the car crashed a shard of windshield flew into her. It missed all vital organs, but," Eggsy fell silent.

Maisey dipped her head against Elaine's shoulder and silently shook. The man behind her just stared. He suddenly shook himself out of his stare and extended his hand to Eggsy.

"I'm Daniel, by the way." He offered, still looking sick.

"Eggsy,"

"Yeah, May told me about you." Daniel gave him a half-hearted smile.

Maisey sniffled, brushed her face with her sleeve, and met Eggsy's eyes.

"Who's her doctor?" Daniel asked, he looked like he stood in a haze and he asked the first question to come to him.

"Some bloke named Gould, apparently he's the best."

Thankfully, Merlin used his connections to ensure Elaine got the best care. Eggsy was too skeptical to assume Merlin only got the doctor because he felt guilty, but there was a hint of regret- perhaps some responsibility- when he told Eggsy of Elaine's situation.

"How long have you been here?" Maisey asked, her nose was still running and her eyes were rimmed with red and brimming with tears.

"Since she got outta surgery." Eggsy cleared his throat as Maisey and Daniel brought him out of his thoughts.

Maisey sniffled again, paused, then looked at Eggsy with concern.

"That was three days ago. You've been here for three days?"

Eggsy looked down, his shirt was wrinkled, his tie was still in Milan, and he could almost feel the bags beneath his tired eyes.

"I couldn't leave." Eggsy said, more to himself than anyone.

Maisey let out a disbelieving sigh and leaned against Daniel. She closed her eyes and said nothing more.

"You should go home," Daniel suggested. "Get some rest. We'll look after her and call you if anything changes."

Eggsy stood up and walked to the chair that he had previously been sleeping in. He thought about taking the offer, but the thought of leaving Elaine when he had failed her so badly was out of the question.

"No, I can't le-" Eggsy hesitated when he saw Bedivere standing in the doorway of the room.

Before Maisey and Daniel could catch sight of Bedivere, he disappeared back into the hallway.

"Alright," Eggsy said. He grabbed his wrinkled jacket and gave Elaine one last look before turning to her two friends. "If anything happens, please call me."

"Of course," Daniel said.

Eggsy nodded and went to find Bedivere.

On his way out of the hospital, he happened to come across the room where Greg was recovering in. Standing in the doorway, Eggsy stood and thought about the possibilities of avenging Elaine. His Elaine. Eggsy should have taken care of him when he had the chance, but then he thought of how Elaine would look at him if he did something so rash; just like she would look at him now that she knew the truth of who he was. Maybe he wasn't better than a murderer. Maybe killing Greg wouldn't change anything.

Bedivere walked up. Eggsy paid him no attention. He just glared at the man passed out and injured in the small hospital room.

"Now's not the time," Bedivere said.

Eggsy lingered another moment with his hate before stepping back and walking away.

"Yeah. But when is?"

* * *

The next day fared no better for Eggsy. Or anyone, really.

The Kingsmen continued their struggle with finding evidence and conspirators of the terrorist group, added on to the stress of a ridiculous debacle with a batch of new recruits for an open agent position. So, when the day ended, Eggsy trudged to the tube to go back to the city and collapsed in a seat, sat back in his chair and closed his eyes in an attempt to block out the headache that was slowly driving him insane.

The tube slowed as it came into one of the tailor shops outside of HQ and Eggsy knew instantly who would join him. The doors to the underground train slid open and Roxy stepped in, sitting directly opposite him. She wore her usual work attire with a bag he'd never seen before on her lap.

"Rox," Eggsy greeted.

"Eggsy," She nodded, crossing her legs.

Roxy seemed to be searching for something to say as she fiddled with the hem of her jacket, but she must have had nothing to say because they both remained silent.

"I've heard there's talk of a big mission?" Eggsy spoke up.

"Me as well. Merlin's keeping the information to a minimum, but it sounds like there'll be need of us in a couple days if current events continue the way they are."

"Right." Eggsy shifted in his seat.

"About Elaine," Roxy started, not wasting any time with small talk.

"Jumpin' right into it, are you?" Eggsy sighed, pinching his nose and trying to ignore the pounding headache emanating from his forehead.

"I'm just worried that you're not facing your guilt of the situation," Roxy said.

"My guilt? You sayin' this is my fault?" Eggsy asked incredulously, his voice rising.

"No, Eggsy, come on, that came out wrong," Roxy defended, moving closer and setting a hand on his knee.

Eggsy moved back.

"Yeah, alright. You think I can't be arsed to give a damn about her? Is that it?" His voice still rose but he didn't seem to care or notice. "You think this bloody chaos of what Greg did to Elaine is because of me, huh!? Are you having a laugh?" Eggsy hadn't realized he was standing over Roxy until she pushed him away.

"I told you, that's not what I meant!" Roxy yelled. "No need to go all bloody aggro!"

Eggsy took a moment and settled back in his seat. Burying his face in his hands, he tried to will the shame away along with his headache, but the only thing he achieved was messing up his hair and bruising his ego more.

"You're right, I'm sorry," Eggsy said into his palms.

He tried to calm himself; he was no longer angry at Roxy, but his heart wouldn't stop speeding and no matter how hard he tried to still them, his hands shook.

Roxy's hand settled on his knee and followed her calming gesture with a muttered apology even though she had nothing to apologize for.

"You should take a few days-"

"No," Eggsy said with a solid resolution.

"I'm sure Merlin would understand."

"It's not Merlin I'm worried about," Eggsy crossed his arms.

"So what is? Worried you're going to, what? Give up you're masculinity because you admit you're emotional about this?"

The tube was nearing the next stop and Eggsy was itching to escape Roxy's admittedly good-hearted interrogation. Uncomfortable, he shifted in his seat and checked his watch.

"Look, Rox, thanks for everything, but I really don't wanna talk about this right now."

Roxy was about to refute when the door opened and Eggsy took his chance at escape.

"Just one more thing," Roxy stopped him.

Turning with hesitance, Eggsy allowed her to stop him and waited for her to elaborate. Without a word, she handed Eggsy the bag she was carrying.

"It's Elaine's. Well... it's the bag she threw at me. That night."

Roxy seemed to be waiting for him to say something but he just stared down at the bag in his hands and thought of the last night he saw her.

He nodded, placed a grateful hand on her shoulder, and walked out of the tube with the bag in his hands.

* * *

As it turns out, Eggsy didn't make it all that far.

Once he was out of the tube and in the Kingsmen tailor shop, Eggsy collapse in a chair and contemplated the bag in his hands.

"Is there anything I can assist with, sir?"

Eggsy sat back and sighed. The resident tailor that watched this particular tailor shop was standing in the doorway.

"Thank you, Mr. Brown, but I just thought I'd take a moment."

"Very well, sir."

Mr. Brown disappeared through the doorway and thankfully didn't ask questions. Eggsy only conversed with him in passing, but the old tailor was always a blessing.

With the silence Mr. Brown allowed him, Eggsy slumped in his chair- a luxury he did not take lightly- and turned the bag in his hands. Looking at it now, the bag was without a doubt Elaine's. There was her signature embroidery covering every surface; her soft thread flowers cascading down the thick fabric. And more than a few were daisies.

Daisies were her flowers. He had decided.

With all her talk of 'one of my favorites', Eggsy noticed that daisies were a common occurrence in her wardrobe, her hair, and the flowers that filled her vases scattered around her apartment.

Daisies were her flower; he figured her out.

The smile on his lips diminished. Sobering, Eggsy opened the bag for no reason other to pour lemon juice in the cut.

The first thing he saw was Elaine's Van Gogh wallet, her floral Monet encased phone, the keys to her apartment, and her sketchbook with her ink pens at the bottom of the bag. Taking out the well-worn sketchbook, Eggsy hesitantly flipped through the pages. He took his time on each sketch. And the thing that stood out to him the most that an overwhelming majority of her work was bridal dresses.

She had gel ink dresses, simple dresses, and smudged pencil dresses. Some were just outlines, skeletons and structural blueprints of pieces, others were brief ideas of silhouettes and veils and cascading trains. Then Eggsy flipped to the later pages and found intricately drawn gown detailed to the lace,

Written next to the sketched dresses were lists of fabrics. One dress was labeled satin, another silk and taffeta, and one Peau de Soie. And more than one dress features little daisy embellishments.

Eggsy started when a water droplet hit the page he was admiring.

Shutting the book in a flash, Eggsy quickly shook himself and cleared his throat. Stuffing her sketchbook back in her bag, his hand was scratched by the keys to her apartment. Pulling them out, Eggsy turned them around in his hand and studied the charms attached to them. Obviously, there was a daisy charm, along with a rose and tulip and bedazzled cat.

Something in Eggsy brain prodded him; something about the charms.

"Herschel!"

Eggsy jumped up, gathered his things, and ran out of the secluded room only to bump into Mr. Brown.

"Think you could call me a cab?" Eggsy asked quickly.

"I've already taken that liberty, sir."

Eggsy's shoulders relaxed somewhat as he nodded at the old Kingsmen tailor.

"You're the best, Brown."

* * *

The cab stopped in front of Elaine's apartment just as Eggsy thought he would lose his mind. Just from running up her steps and pulling out her keys, Eggsy could hear Herschel scratching at the door. And the cat's lonely cowls only grew once Eggsy swung open the door and stepped into the cat.

"Hey, there, little guy," Eggsy said, picking up the grey ragdoll and giving him a tight squeeze.

Herschel mewled loudly.

"I know, I know," Eggsy consoled.

He walked into the apartment and immediately dropped the cat in order to fill his food bowl which Herschel all but pounced on. Next was his water supply, and then another soft scratch behind the cat's ear.

Leaving the cat behind, Eggsy went in search of Elaine's cat carrier.

"If I can't protect Elaine, I'm going to be damn sure I protect her cat," Eggsy mumbled to himself.

Walking through her apartment was hard. Especially with the memories of the last time he was here replaying in his head.

 _I love you_

She whispered like she didn't want him to hear.

Shaking the memory out of his head, Eggsy continued his search for Herschel's pet carrier. Stepping into her room, he saw Herschel's carrier lumped in the corner beside her bed. Eggsy knew Elaine cleaned when she couldn't sleep and it showed. The only thing out of place was the carrier.

Her bed was neatly made, desk organized, and her book stand alphabetized. The fairy lights draped around her window were still glowing so Eggsy reached down and turned them off. Elaine would never forgive him if he let a fire start in her apartment.

She may never forgive him for everything else, too.

Herschel padded into the room and brushed up against Eggsy's leg like he knew Elaine was in trouble.

"I know, Hersch," Eggsy consoled, gently picking up the cat and holding him close.

He picked up the carrier, set in on Elaine's bed, and coaxed Herschel into it before zipping it closed. Herschel let out a distressed mewl, but shrank back and remained silent.

Then, with Herschel in the carrier, Eggsy left Elaine's apartment, unable to spend more time where she once had been.

* * *

Despite his eagerness to escape where Elaine had once been, Eggsy found himself later that night at the hospital sitting next to her and holding her hand. He chalked it up to guilt and reasoned that as long as Elaine was lying here, he better put himself through as pain as he could.

And it was working.

Sitting next to a comatose Elaine was his trial. And he would sit here until she woke up and he didn't just a damn about what anyone would say about it. He would stay.

Leaning forward, Eggsy dropped his head into his hands and tried once again to will his interminable headache away to no avail. And now there was an ache in his chest that burned and spread the ache through his veins. All of which he deserved.

"Just make it through, Elaine," Eggsy pleaded, holding her hand close.

She remained silent.

Eggsy started when the doctor walked in with a clipboard and an unsurprised expression.

"Still here?" Dr. Gould asked.

"Got nowhere better to be," Eggsy said tiredly.

Dr. Gould huffed, and walked over to his patient and checked this and that. He was a middle-aged man with a sloping belly and a red, bulbous nose and as he was looking over his patient, Eggsy got the distinct feeling the doctor was nervous about something.

"Alright there, doc?" Eggsy asked.

Dr. Gould jumped and turned to Eggsy with a little twitch in his eye.

"Yes, fine, fine," He said. "Long shift a couple nights in a row paired with a pot or two more coffee than I should have drunk, I suppose."

He laughed, then fiddled with the clipboard before confirming that everything was in order before leaving Eggsy alone once more.

His phone buzzed not long after. He contemplated ignoring it as he stared at Elaine, but decided against it on the fifth ring.

"Yeah," He answered shortly.

"We've been called in," Roxy said. "The big mission Merlin was talking about is underway. Get to HQ as soon as you can."

"Yup. See you soon." Eggsy sighed, putting his phone down and giving one last gaze at Elaine's seemingly lifeless figure before walking out of her room.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Eggsy and the other Kingsmen, the doctor in charge of caring for Elaine overlooked the street below, not a few blocks from the hospital. The night lounge he was in was next to empty, poorly lit, and the last place he would choose to spend his free time in. But nevertheless, he was here.

The waitress set a drink in front of him and left him alone.

Just as he brought to glass up to his lips, he spotted a woman wearing black approaching. Chugging his drink in one nervous gulp, he set the glass down with a loud clunk and motioned to the waitress for another.

"Doctor," The woman greeted as she sat down opposite him, voice like silk.

Doctor Gould just mumbled, looking past his guest to the waitress.

"How are you?" She asked.

"Like you bloody care," He grumbled. "Americans…"

She shifted as she laughed, locks of blond hair falling over her shoulder. It only took a moment for the intense hold of her gaze to pin him down again. Although her smile was easier than the other times he had met with her. Looser. Gould thought in another universe she could be soft, innocent. She was young enough and pretty enough.

But he knew not to underestimate her.

The waitress set his second drink down and asked his guest if she wanted anything. She said no. She was convincingly nice, innocent.

Gould shivered, taking a long sip of his drink.

She leaned forward and gave him a smile.

"Not only am I American, I'm Minnesotan. We're known for being 'Minnesota nice', you know."

Doctor Gould put his drink down and loosened his tie before looking around nervously. Being in a place so open with her made his skin crawl.

"Why are we meeting here anyway? Don't you phantoms enjoy the recluse of dark corners."

"I'm not a phantom," She said, leaning back with a smug smile. "I'm just someone with a goal. And I can't have a nice night out?"

She took his drink from him and finished it in one swig. Holding the empty glass in her hands, she tapped her nails against it in a rhythm. Dr. Gould shook his head and tried to remind himself how he got into this situation, to begin with.

"Soccer players have goals. You have… this is…"

The sharp taps on the glass stopped.

"Are you in or out? Because I can let you go anytime I want." She interrupted sharply before his stuttering could be continued.

Dr. Gould hesitated. Scratching his head, he grabbed his empty glass from the woman sitting opposite him and motioned to the waitress before nodding in agreement.

"Good. Now, when is the medicine going to be ready?"

"It's not a matter of when it will be ready, but how to get it. Even the fact that I work closely with the biomedical research and development lab can't get you the drugs."

"Then don't worry about it. As long as its effective and developed, I can get my hands on it."

"Ms. Wyndham, be reasonable," he tried.

He was only met with an eye roll and chilly smirk.

The waitress brought the doctor his second drink. Sighing, he decided to go along with her ludicrous statement and pulled his drink towards himself.

"And how will you get Elaine?"

Dr. Gould shifted back when Ms. Wyndham stood up and over him. Silently, she reached forwards, took his drink and finished it before he could protest.

"As I said. Don't worry about it." She turned his glass upside down and set it down on the table with a heavy clank. "So just stick to the plan and wait for further instructions."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and disappeared from the dim lounge.

"Guess I'll get the tab then," the doctor muttered.


	15. Flashes

**HELLO! Hey, how's it going? Yeah, I know, I've been gone too long. I seriously planned to post this chapter a week after the last, but then I got sidetracked by writing other chapters and edited previous chapters and then editing this chapter endlessly because that's the life of a perfectionist. It's a vicious cycle.**

 **But I'm here now and I'm really excited for upcoming chapters and I actually think I'll be able to post the next chapter relatively soon. But if you're ever curious about update ETAs or just want to know that I'm alive, feel free to PM me. I LOVE getting messages from you guys and it makes my cold little heart smile.**

 **So, here is chapter 15! Please keep in mind while reading this that I am not a medical student nor do I have any expertise on medical things, so, please don't judge me on the plethora of probable errors! I struggled somewhat with this chapter and the scenes in it, but challenges make for a better writer?... hopefully?**

 **Anyway, enjoy and please review!**

* * *

By the time Eggsy arrived at HQ, all of the surviving Kingsmen were seated at the conference table. Eggsy took a moment to berate himself for always being the last to show up at these blasted meetings, but he accepted it with a tired shrug.

Taking his seat between Percival and Kay, Eggsy straightened his tie and nodded cordially to Bedivere and Merlin. Roxy shot him a concerned side-eye. Once all remaining Kingsmen were settled, Merlin began the meeting with a stern voice and an even sterner glare.

"Good evening, Gentlemen. Gentlelady. Shall we get right into business?" He said while opening his tablet. "As I'm sure you all have noticed, a few of our fallen brothers have not been replaced; the Kingsmen are only at half capacity and as much as I hate to say, we are in desperate need of more knights."

Eggsy glanced at the five empty chairs at the end of the table at the same time as everyone else.

"While this organization has a plethora of lower level agents; a diminished number of knighted Kingsmen such as yourselves threatens to drop this operation into degradation and I plan to resolve this problem immediately. Our last successful recruitment was a little more than a year ago and as we've seen, just adding one Kingsmen agent is enough to make all of our jobs easier."

Bedivere smiled self-consciously and nodded to Merlin.

"While I would like to have these recruits tomorrow, this is not a decision to be made on an impulse. Study, observe, even test your possible recruits. Do not settle for second best. I expect all of you to submit your recommendations to me by the end of March and you better be damn sure they're up for a challenge."

"That's a bloody understatement." Eggsy said.

There were a few chuckles between everyone including a stifled huff from Merlin.

"Now that that's been said, on to the reason I called all of you in." Merlin put on his glasses and in-turn, Eggsy and the rest of the knights put on their glasses.

"A certain deluded, power-happy country in the North China Sea has just threatened to start WW3, and I would rather that not happen. A number of organizations such as ourselves are equally eager to stop this and have sent their own people into the storm, and I do not intend for the Kingsmen to sit idly by."

Eggsy watched the stats and information of the mission flash up on the screen. He adjusted his glasses.

"Galahad, Lancelot, Gawain, and Kay, you all are to report to the airbase in an hour and I expect you to be in route immediately. Bedivere and Percival, I'm flying you out to our subsidiary branch in Hong Kong to gather our affiliate agents. Just in case."

And then, all at once, everyone stood up; Eggsy being the first to leave.

* * *

The plastic chair squeaked as Eggsy sat down.

He tapped his foot on the ground a couple times, ran his fingers over his face, and stared at the bottom corner of the cot in front of him. Eggsy opened his mouth once or twice, but nothing came out. The words were stuck in his throat.

He coughed the way one does before a public speech.

"Herschel is good. He gets along with JB." The words sounded awkward. "But, I've, ah… I've told you that before, haven't I?"

Eggsy laughed the way one does on an uncomfortable first date.

"So, I need to leave. Only for a few days," Eggsy said, leaning back in the hospital chair and avoiding Elaine's sleeping eyes.

The only sound between them was the soft, electric march of her heart, the quiet traffic out in the hallway and the near constant string of Eggsy's debilitating doubts. All of which were almost too deafening for Eggsy to bare; if only Elaine could cut the prickling silence with her laugh.

"I said I would stay." Eggsy brought his head down into his palms. "I know I said I would; that I would stay until I saw you awake and okay, but I'm not. I'm not going to stay. I keep promising you things I can't keep."

The skin on his back prickled as he leaned forward again, face still in his hand, and reached up to twirl a strand of her hair with his fingers.

He missed the mess of her hair; how it always looked wind tossed and tangled and on fire in the soft light of the mornings he traveled to Columbia street to bother her. She never minded. Elaine was always illuminated; no matter the time of day, her hair, her freckles, her easy smile never failed to catch the light; but she was lying here and her strawberry locks never looked more faded, duller. The freckles of mascara peppered around her eyes were missing, her rosy blush gone.

He picked up her lifeless hand and brought it to his mouth.

"I'll come back, Elaine," Eggsy promised into her hand.

With reluctance, he dropped her hand, grabbed his jacket, and left without looking back.

Stepping through the door into the hallway without paying attention, Eggsy collided with Elaine's doctor. The doctor jumped with a startled gasp and clutched his chest.

"I'm so sorry, didn't see you there, doc," Eggsy said.

"Yes, yes, that's alright."

The doctor walked past Eggsy into the room and Eggsy didn't stop him. But as Eggsy stood in the doorway, he watched the doctor nervously wring his hands and pull at the sleeves of his white doctor's coat. His red, bulbous nose twitched as he caught Eggsy standing out of the corner of his eye and once again he jumped, startled.

"One too many pots of coffee again, doc?" Eggsy asked. He tried not to convey the suspicion too heavily in his voice.

"Y-yes, I guess there has been." The doctor gave a nervous laugh.

"Right."

Eggsy leveled him with a curious gaze to which the doctor shifted uncomfortably under. It was then that Eggsy made the priority to dig deeper into the doctor when he returned from the mission.

Doctor Gould was looking at Eggsy with and nervous curiosity.

"Well… have a good night then. I'd say stay away from the coffee, though."

"Right, right. Of course." Gould laughed.

Eggsy was unconvinced.

Again, with reluctance, Eggsy turned away from Elaine's room and made his way to the airfields.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Galahad, Lancelot, Gawain, and Kay, were up in the air and headed half-way across the globe. These flights were getting old; the flights around the globe, flights that ate up hours, days of his life. The jets were fast, but Eggsy valued his time more now that he learned how to value himself.

But, like the well-trained gentleman he sometimes was, he didn't complain… much. At times, he thought these flights could be counted as punishment.

"My bloody arse is numb," Eggsy lowly complained to Roxy.

"Shall I kick it?" Roxy asked, nose buried in a book.

"How many blasted hours have we been here?" Eggsy rolled his shoulders and wiggled in his seat.

"Well, these flights are an eternity." Roxy sighed.

Elaine popped into Eggsy's mind.

She had said the same thing once they landed in Paris. She had just agreed to run away with him on a whim. Just like that. Eggsy knew Elaine would travel anywhere to fuel her wanderlust. He had seen it in her eyes as they traveled around Paris. Driving through the countryside, Elaine just set her forehead against the car window and watch the Parisian land roll by her; her wide eyes taking nothing for granted.

Even the simple things he noticed about her in London; she was always people watching, sometimes he would spot her sketching a lone diner or a couple walking down an avenue. She was always observing the world around her. She would be so caught up in her world that she would yelp and jump when he brought her out of it, her eyes would be wide and questioning, then her confusion would melt and she would laugh at herself and punch him in the shoulder just for making her jump.

"Eggsy,"

He looked over at Roxy.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked.

Eggsy shook himself when he noticed he had been smiling while reminiscing about Paris and Elaine and lazy car drives.

"Nothin'. Why are you starin' at me?" Eggsy carefully manipulated his features into boredom as he adjusted his shoulders.

"I just…" Roxy rolled her eyes. "You're confusing. That's all."

"Yeah, whateva, bruv." Eggsy mentally prepared himself for the elbow to his ribs just after saying that.

Gawain stood up and faced the group of Kingsmen.

"We should reach our destination in just under an hour. Start gearing up."

There were a few 'aye's and nods as everyone began suiting up into their tac gear. Already having the underlayers on, the preparation didn't take long and soon Eggsy was just sitting again. Restless.

And thinking of Elaine.

* * *

At the other side of the world, Doctor Gould was standing over his patient as he wrung his hands together and hesitated in taking a step closer.

"I took an oath, you know," He told her. "I swore I would protect, yet here I am."

He awkwardly shuffled his feet and racked his brain for any excuse or explanation he could protect himself with. Nothing came to mind.

Doctor Gould opened his mouth to begin an explanation he didn't believe when one of the research residents barged into the room.

"Doctor Gould,"

"What?" He asked with irritation.

The resident had tense shoulders and a tight grip on the files she was holding.

"You know the new drug we've been developing, the one to help the rehabilitation of coma patients?"

The doctor's blood pressure jumped. He took a deep breath before turning to face the research resident. He nodded at her to continue.

"It's been stolen." She said nervously.

Doctor Gould nodded slowly, walking up to her.

"Do we know who it was?"

"Security cameras caught them, but they were wearing a dark hoodie and we couldn't see her face."

"Her?"

"Yeah, well, from the build of their shoulders and the stature, we're reasoning whoever took the drugs was a she."

Doctor Gould sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to will his slight panic away.

"Well, contact the police,"

"We have,"

"Find out if anything else was stolen and I'll talk to the board."

She nodded and walked out of the room.

He took a moment to calm himself before turning back to his patient and setting an apologetic hand on her arm.

"I'm so sorry, but it will only get more complicated from here," He whispered.

It was at this point that the once prestigious doctor saw himself behind bars and stripped of his medical license.

* * *

Eggsy was waiting for the signal.

He and Gawain were sitting in the frigid air of their mission location waiting for Lancelot and Kay to finish their scope of the target area, full tac gear weighing them down.

Eggsy kicked at the snow beneath his feet.

"Galahad," Gawain spoke.

Eggsy turned to look at him.

"Perhaps this is not the time, but I have been meaning to say I'm sorry for what happened to Elaine. She's a good person, she certainly doesn't deserve the state she's in."

Eggsy adjusted his gun and nodded.

"Yeah, I know," He mumbled.

It was then that the calm night was cut with the sharp peppering of gunfire. Eggsy's earpiece crackled with the urgent voice of Kay and Eggsy and Gawain snapped up.

"Let's move out," Gawain ordered.

Both of them ran into the dark, snowy field they were faced with, their guns at the ready.

Running towards the gunfire with Roxy shouting in his ear turned into a sudden flash of Elaine. The harsh popping of bullets turned into the sound of a car crash and as he ran he found himself running to Elaine.

And he wasn't fast enough.

"Galahad!"

Eggsy snapped back to the mission, disoriented. He whipped his head to the voice, but before he was able to pinpoint something tore through his shoulder and he was knocked back.

"Eggsy!"

Clutching his bleeding, throbbing shoulder while on the ground, Eggsy cursed whatever deities he could think of for messing with his life.

* * *

Eggsy didn't look up when the door to the infirmary opened and sharp footsteps approached him from behind. Focusing on rewrapping his bandage while ignoring the pain shooting through his shoulder, he kept his eyes down when Merlin sat on the cot opposite him.

"You've let your attachment affect your work."

Eggsy hesitated; the bandage he was wrapping stilled. After a moment, he continued, still refusing to look up.

"Am I out?" He asked.

Merlin let a silence hang between them until Eggsy met his eyes. Eggsy bit back the excuses until Merlin's stare became too much and the words began spilling out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry, I just got caught up in things and lost myself in my head and I know this was an important mission

"You're not out," Merlin said after a long silence.

Eggsy's shoulders relaxed.

"But you were warned," Merlin said sternly. "When you became a Kingsmen; in a rather round-about way, you were told that this life does not bode well for those who have attachments. This shouldn't be taken as an invitation to cut off everyone you care about, but a reality that when on the job nothing else matters but the job."

Merlin paused in his speech, taking a moment before continuing.

"Those we love can be a strength when held at the right moment, but thinking of your comatose girlfriend while being shot at is not effective, to say the least."

Eggsy let out a humorless laugh.

"Yeah, got that," Eggsy mumbled.

"In light of your current state, you are being suspended until further notice."

"What? Merlin, come on!" Eggsy argued, wincing when his shoulder jostled.

"Due to both your shoulder and your priorities."

"You gotta be takin' a piss," Eggsy said angrily.

"I can assure you I am not and considering you thought you were out two minutes ago, I should hope you'd be pretty damn pleased with just a suspension," Merlin deadpanned.

Eggsy ran his hands over his face, ignoring how his shoulder screamed in pain.

Merlin sighed heavily, then stood and set a hand on Eggsy's good shoulder.

"This isn't meant to be a punishment, Eggsy. Take some time to heal."

And with that, Merlin left Eggsy to think by himself.

* * *

Elaine was vaguely aware of the world.

There were lucid moments that fluxed in and out of her memory and sensations of someone holding her hand, but her existence came and went. She didn't know where she was, but she didn't have the energy, nor any reason, to care.

She just slept because that's all she wanted to do.

A couple outstanding moments she could briefly if at all, hang on to, where moments of someone holding her hand and speaking with a sad voice. She felt her hair being brushed back and harsh beeps marching on and her cheek being caressed and someone poking her with sharp needles. She was laying in cotton sheets that irritated her skin, and she didn't like the pillow she had.

But then, everything would melt away and there would only be the refreshing darkness that she comfortably sank into like a good night's rest.

When Elaine woke up again in another lucid moment, she saw a figure standing by her side. Wearing a dark hoodie, Elaine couldn't make out their face, but her vision was too blurred and tired to make out anything of detail. So, she closed her eyes again and let the world fall away.

As she was sleeping in her comfortable darkness, she felt tight tugs on her arms, like a needle were being pulled out and then the air beneath her nose was pulled away. The machine where her heart had been monitored on flatlined, but it sounded off; like she was hearing from underwater.

Everything she heard sounded off. The voices surrounding her were warbled and unrecognizable. Elaine couldn't tell if it was just one person or twenty, but she didn't have the energy to care but she was getting an inkling of fear at the base of her stomach.

And then someone was moving her. She had enough consciousness to feel a pair of strong hands set her in a wheelchair and push her back so she didn't fall forwards. She attempted to say something, to speak out, but there was a terrible, solid disconnect from her mouth to her brain.

A hand pushed her chest, and she realized she was slumped forward and she couldn't straighten her self up. For the first time since she began to gain consciousness, a coil of fear wound around her spin and sat heavily in her stomach.

A needle poked her arm and soon a warm calmness enveloped her. The coil of fear drained out of her and she felt herself falling back to a comfortable sleep as whoever had her began rolling her through the fluorescent hallways of the hospital.

* * *

"I told you this would work."

"Don't speak too soon. She's here, but the drugs have yet to take effect and we could still be found out." Doctor Gould said. "Will the Kingsmen be after us?"

"Most likely."

They were standing beside the bed Elaine was lying in. She was hooked up to their own heart monitors and oxygen tanks and other such requirements.

"Are you positive it was safe to move her so soon? She was mumbling nonsense when I took her out of the hospital."

"That's a good sign. Normally, a patient with her injuries and the state of her medically induced coma would need a great deal of physical therapy once awakening from the coma, but with this new drug, she'll have practically all dexterity and mental functions. It's an amazing drug. And there's only a 17% chance of complications."

"What are the complications?"

"We've already discussed this," Doctor Gould looked at his accomplice with doubt.

"Yes, but you bored me and I forgot what you had said."

The doctor tried hard to reign in his impulse to roll his eyes or let out an irritated huff.

"How far have I fallen, letting corruption and conspiracies be a priority over patient care," Doctor Gould muttered under his breath.

"Complications," She snapped.

Doctor Gould jumped.

Nowadays, his nerves made up more of his body than muscle.

"Speech impediments and chronic migraines, both fairly unlikely, with temporary amnesia being the most probable of the complications."

She nodded, sitting on the bed beside Elaine and brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear. She then fixed her blankets and set a gentle hand on Elaine's shoulder.

"I'm willing to take those risks." She whispered.

After watching her for a moment, Doctor Gould cleared his throat and declared that he was going to research possible treatments for the potential complications Elaine may encounter.


	16. Theodora

**Hello!**

 **I'm sorry I've been away for so long… again. But Senior year is taking up a lot of my time, but working on this story gives me a chance to relax and escape from all that stress.**

 **Important Note!**

 **Would you guys be interested in a one-shot of how Eggsy and Elaine met? I'm in the process of writing one, but if you'd rather just stick with this storyline, I'll put the one shot on a back burning while working on this.**

 **Also, I just wanted everyone's opinions; since school work is taking so much of my time and I only have a limited availability to write, would you like shorter chapters that I post more frequently or longer chapters that take a bit more time?**

 **I'm fine with either, just shoot me a PM and I'll try to make everyone happy!**

Elaine was in the realm of fog.

She couldn't quite feel the bed beneath her, yet she knew she was laying in one, and she couldn't quite understand the voices surrounding her; soft and whispered, yet she knew they were spoken.

Everything was a blur.

At some points, Elaine was able to shake herself out enough to catch and understand snippets of words, but the fog would pull her right back into her sleep.

There was no way out of the fog, but the fog was comfortable, so Elaine didn't really care. She just slept, not caring, but on the verge of confusion.

Semi-lucid points stood out now and again of someone holding her hand or touching her cheek. Elaine didn't know who it was, just that they were there.

 _You'll be fine, Lea_.

Comprehension of the visitor's words registered for a moment then slipped away.

* * *

Just as Elaine was struggling to awaken from the fog at the other side of London, Eggsy struggled to roll out of bed.

He sat up and stretched as much as he could with his injured shoulder and contemplated staying in his apartment for the rest of the year.

"I don't see why not," he grumbled to himself. "It's not like I have a job at the moment."

Eggsy adjusted the gauze on his shoulder and rolled his neck as he remained sitting at the edge of his bed. He just stared at the floor and sighed.

Herschel jumped up beside him and pushed his furry head against Eggsy's arm. He purred as Eggsy scratched his chin and soon began rolling around and pawing at Eggsy's hand.

"She'll be back soon," Eggsy said.

It was strange, but having Herschel with him brought a feeling of Elaine into his apartment. With the little rag doll cat- who bit his fingers when he fed him and cowled with loneliness at 3 am- there was a feeling of hope and connectedness.

Eggsy smiled and picked up Herschel and held him closer.

JB growled from the floor. Eggsy suspected he was getting jealous of all the attention the cat was getting. So, Eggsy reluctantly put Herschel down and rolled out of bed to start the first day of his suspension.

But it didn't take long for his boring day to become precarious.

Eggsy was sitting at his kitchen table drinking coffee when a harsh knock pounded at his door. Reaching under the table, he pulled out a gun and stealthily approached the door.

"I know you're there, Eggsy," A voice carried through from the outside.

All the tension fell out of his body and his gun fell his side before swinging open the door.

"Rox," Eggsy greeted.

He stepped aside and opened the door wider to let her in. He could already hear the conversation that was about the ensue.

"Merlin told me you were suspended," She began abruptly.

"You were never one to favor subtlety, were you?" Eggsy observed after slumping down into an armchair with total disregard for manners.

"I guess not," Roxy agreed.

"Then I guess I'll take a page out of your book then, eh? What are you doing here?" Eggsy crossed his arms and pretended like the action didn't kill his shoulder.

But he wanted to look macho.

Roxy rolled her eyes and contemplated him with concern.

"I'm here because I want to know if you're okay."

"You keep askin' me that and you always expect an answer different from the one I give you," Eggsy said, annoyed. "I'm fine."

"I would believe you had you not just got suspended. Specifically for not being okay. And if you didn't have an injured shoulder."

Eggsy sighed and decided not to respond.

"Well?" Roxy prodded.

"Well, what?"

Roxy stood looking at him for a moment with a hopeless expression when her phone rang.

"I believe that's your call to arms, Lancelot," Eggsy said, thankful there was an end in sight for this conversation.

Roxy hesitated, looking between Eggsy and her phone. Giving up, she gave him a stern look a mother would give before putting her phone away and taking a step towards the door.

"This isn't over," Roxy threatened.

"I'm sure it isn't." Eggsy mumbled, making no effort to disguise his annoyance.

Roxy made one final, quick attempt to pry something out of him before giving up and leaving. As soon as the door closed behind her, Eggsy's shoulders relaxed and firmly decided he was never any good at dealing with interrogations you couldn't just say 'fuck you' to.

Herschel quietly padded up to him and rubbed his head against Eggsy's leg. He huffed, then reached out to run his fingers through his fur.

"Yeah, I know. That was brutal."

* * *

Eggsy showed up at the hospital once again with daisies. He reasoned the last bouquet he'd brought her was probably too wilted to stand anymore, so he needed to bring her fresh flowers.

He was about to step into her room when he collided with a nurse, making her drop her pager.

"So sorry," Eggsy said, picking it up and handing it to her.

She accepted it wordlessly, looking concerned. She just stood there in the doorway, not moving. Eggsy waited, expecting her to move.

After the moment had awkwardly gone on too long, he cleared his throat and stepped forward to move around her.

"Wait," She said, putting a hand up to stop him. "Before you go in…"

Eggsy froze.

"Before I go in what?" Eggsy asked, his heart pounding.

The nurse gave him a sad look.

"There's no easy way to say th-"

Eggsy pushed past her before she could finish, ignoring the squabbling of the nurse following him. But he wished he'd listened once he saw.

He stood in front of an empty bed.

Three possibilities jumped to his mind; she was dead, in surgery, or taken. He hoped it was the second. But that seemed unlikely if the nurse's panic was anything to go by.

Another person joined and then there was talking behind him, but he didn't care enough to listen; he just walked up to the empty bed and stared at it.

"Where is she?" He asked.

The conversation behind him ceased. He took a moment to control his panic, his rage, before turning. Elaine's doctor stood beside the nurse and held his clipboard so tight his knuckles were white. He cleared his throat nervously before speaking.

"I'm afraid Ms. Daniella has been discharged."

"Discharged by who?" Eggsy snapped.

Doctor Gould tugged at the collar of his shirt.

"We don't know."

The doctor's eyes flickered away from Eggsy's then he shifted uncomfortably. Eggsy was both furious and relieved. He didn't have to look far for whoever took Elaine.

Calmly, and without visible anger, Eggsy closed the few steps between him and the doctor, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him against the wall.

The nurse screamed and ran out of the room.

"You really need to learn how to lie," Eggsy said, seething.

"I don't know anyth-"

Eggsy tightened his grip and shook him.

"Stop lying." He snapped, making sure to have a bruising force behind

"I'll tell you what," Eggsy said, relaxing. "There's no need to be uncivil about this, yeah?" Eggsy let go of the doctor's collar and Gould frantically nodded his head in agreement.

"What's say we go have this conversation elsewhere?"

Doctor Gould stuttered before actual words processed.

"I have patients, I-"

"There are others doctors." Eggsy snapped. "Elaine is the only patient that should be on your mind right now. Don't you think, Doctor?"

Once again, the only response the doctor could manage was to nod frantically.

* * *

"Galahad," Merlin pinched the bridge of his nose.

Merlin and Eggsy were staring each other down in the Tailor shop front nearest to the hospital; which just so happened to be Mr. Brown's. Mr. Brown was standing beside Merlin, silent as ever, and waited for instruction as to either throw Eggsy out or return to his post behind the shop counter.

"I had more than enough reason to suspect him," Eggsy defended quickly.

"It seems to me you're just trying to get back on the mission."

"No, I swear I'm not," Eggsy looked to Mr. Brown for help, but all he was met with was a calm, stoic face. "I just brought him to you. I swear I'll leave this to you."

"Eggsy, I don't know-"

"Well, I do. I'm tellin' you, he knows where Elaine is." Eggsy's voice was rising. "I'll stay out of the investigation, but please, just interrogate him. He's behind this."

Merlin closed his eyes and shook his head. Eggsy wondered when he would push Merlin over the boundary of annoyed exasperation, and into anger. Quite honestly, it probably wasn't far ahead.

"Fine. Where is he?" Merlin asked.

Eggsy cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to put up a passive expression.

This might just break that boundary.

"Eggsy," Merlin warned.

"I might have stuffed him in the boot of the cab."

Merlin stopped, glared something awful at him, and took a deep breath. Letting out his frustration in a puff of air, Merlin shook his head and proceeded to turn to the quiet man beside him.

"Mr. Brown, will you bring the cab around back?" Merlin asked.

Eggsy waited impatiently as Merlin walked back into the room and settled into a chair.

"I swear, you're just trying to get us all detained at Her Majesty's pleasure."

"Eh, they wouldn't lock us up just for bothering a shady doctor, would they, now?" Eggsy said, shrugging.

"I hope you realize that who you have _stuffed_ into the boot of your cab is one of the premier surgeons in England." Merlin reprimanded.

"He must not be that premier if he makes a habit of kidnapping his patients." Eggsy shrugged.

"Cheeky bastard," Merlin swore under his breath.

Mr. Brown walked into the doorway and nodded to both of them.

"I've brought around the cab, sir."

Merlin nodded

"That's your cue to leave."

Eggsy stayed put.

Merlin glared at him, challenging him to speak.

"Just _one_ punch, I won't even break anyth-"

"Eggsy," Merlin snapped.

"Yeah," Eggsy nodded knowingly.

It was a long shot, but worth a try. Eggsy grabbed his coat and proceeded to leave while regretting not punching the slimy doctor when he had the chance.

"You know where to find me," Eggsy called out.

Merlin grumbled in response.

* * *

Sharp footsteps bounced around the makeshift hospital room. It was chilly, sterile. This was worse than a hospital, because in a hospital, at least there were the signs of life; the rushing nurses running through hallways and bossy doctors giving orders. Even the coughing of other patients. But here, there was none of that save for the sharp and lonely footsteps. The only other sounds were the cold, mechanical pings from the stolen heart monitor.

She didn't have time for this. Every minute Elaine slept was a minute wasted. She just needed to wake up already.

She just sat down next to her and stared at her lifeless hand.

"Just wake up already, Lea. We don't have time for this,"

She could feel her blood pressure rise. A thin sheen of sweat collected on her brow.

Someone coughed behind her. She turned and the young resident she had talked into helping her stood unsurely behind her.

"What?" She asked tiredly.

He cleared his throat before giving the news.

"The Kingsmen got Doctor Gould."

She froze, then turned slowly.

"What do you mean 'got'?"

"Um…" He wrung his hands together. "He was taken in."

"We don't have time," Her voice quivered as she looked back at her sister and squeezed her hand.

Deciding that wasn't enough, she dropped her hand and started shaking her shoulders.

"Wake up, Lea! Wake up!" She shouted, shaking Elaine's shoulders with even more force.

Her hands were pried away by the resident and she was pulled away from the bed. Evie tore herself away from him and shoved him away. Turning away to hide the tears on her face, she stood quietly, willing her sister to wake up.

"Let me know if anything changes," She said before walking out of the room.

* * *

Bedivere walked into the greenhouse.

It was rainy out and once he stepped in, he lowered his umbrella and shook it out above the dirty ground. Old, worn, wood planks creaked beneath his feet.

Stepping through the second door, Bedivere took a moment to look around the room; a room filled with rows and rows of potted plants and soil bags. Some pots were overflowing with blooms, others just saplings and others were hanging by the opaque windows.

Striding in further, Bedivere spotted Eggsy seated on a bench at the other side of the room with a scowl etched into his brow.

"This is a lonely place to be," Bedivere observed.

Eggsy knocked his head against the wall behind him.

"Yeah, well. I came here to look for anything that would help; thought maybe Greg was working with Gould. But can't find shit."

Bedivere silently brushed off a dirt-peppered stool and took a set beside Eggsy.

"Elaine used to work here. Her boss is worried sick." Eggsy said. "She keeps calling me, running into me at the hospital. I never have any answers for her."

"Elaine will answer her questions when we get her back," Bedivere said, kicking a gardening tool out of the way of his foot.

Eggsy sat silently.

"Have you gotten anything out of the doctor?" Eggsy asked.

The stool creaked as Bedivere shifted.

"No. He's a nervous wreck, but he knows how to keep a secret."

Eggsy nodded, looking down.

"He'll crack," Bedivere assured. "We've only had him for a day and we haven't resorted to more uncivilized techniques."

"Can I be there for that uncivilized bit?" Eggsy seethed.

Bedivere snorted.

"Only if you want Merlin to spear you through your chest."

"Since when have I ever given a damn about consequences?" Eggsy laughed half-heartedly.

Bedivere was still smiling when he leaned back against the wall of the greenhouse. There was an awkward lull between them before Eggsy laughed at a realization. When Bedivere gave him a questioning look, Eggsy explained.

"Earlier this year, I was giving you updates on 'Evie', and now you're giving updates on Elaine's kidnapper."

Bedivere snorted again. Eggsy noticed he didn't usually laugh. Bedivere stood and brushed off his trousers.

"Merlin will come around," Bedivere assured. "So will Elaine."

Eggsy nodded, standing up as well.

"Thanks, Bedivere." Eggsy said, walking out of the greenhouse.

His fellow Kingsmen hesitated before following Eggsy out.

"My name is Todd."

Eggsy faltered, surprised, but then gave Todd a grateful nod and left the greenhouse.

* * *

Elaine opened her eyes and was immediately attacked with a throbbing headache and an aching body. The gravity around her was stronger than usual; she tried to lift up her head, but it was too heavy. She spun while laying there as her throbbing headache ceased to a manageable pain.

She looked around as much as she could, but she gave up and just settled with staring at the ceiling. From what she could tell, the room was empty, and she didn't recognize it.

"Hello?"

Her voice was hoarse to the point that she barely recognized it.

"Hello?" She said louder; although it only made her headache worse.

A few straggly breaths escaped her as panic rose up in her chest. She tried harder to sit up, but gravity just pulled her down harder and made her nauseous.

"Elaine,"

A gentle hand wiped the tears from her cheeks and brushed her hair back. Struggling with the nausea that was settled heavily in her stomach, Elaine looked up to see Eggsy beside her running a soothing hand over her forehead.

"Eggsy,"

His face scrunched up in confusion. He pulled his hand away and took a step back.

"What?" He asked.

His face when cold and a little fearful when he snapped his attention to someone standing on the other side of Elaine.

"What's wrong with her? You said there wouldn't be many complications."

"She just woke from a coma, what do you expect?" A voice Elaine didn't recognize reprimanded. "It seems like she's experiencing hallucinations."

Elaine's chin was gently pulled away from Eggsy and turned towards another man. He studied her eyes and took her pulse.

"Can you tell me who this is?" The man asked, gesturing to Eggsy.

Elaine looked back to see distortions in her vision, her headache got worse. Eggsy looked warped, fake.

"It's okay. Take your time," The unknown man said.

The harder Elaine studied Eggsy, the more she realized he had a shorter frame, leaner. Then his hair began to grow and his features melted and warped into a more feminine face. Then, before Elaine knew what happened another familiar face was looking down at her, albeit, one that was much more unwelcomed.

"Mom?" Elaine asked, shaking.

She scoffed.

"If I'm mom, then hell has frozen over."

Now everything was distorted, her vision was too chaotic and everything was too bright. So bright it hurt.

"I don't feel good," Elaine groaned, trying to keep her sickness at bay.

There was shuffling beside her, then a prick in her arm and once again a welcoming warmth spread through her veins and soothed her headache.

"Once she's awake again, she should be more coherent." the unknown voice said.

* * *

Elaine's bed dipped as Evie sat next to her. She normally said nothing, just sat there wishing for a different reality.

"I should have seen it," Evie whispered. "Greg was clearly in love with you."

Silence.

"I'm sorry that I said those things." Evie ran a hand through her sister's hair. "After the wedding rehearsal. And I doubt you'll forgive me for what's going to happen soon. I just… I'm…"

Evie was descending into sobs when a light squeeze surrounding her hand. Sniffling, Evie wiped her nose on her sleeve and studied Elaine closely, fearing the squeeze was just a figment of her imagination.

Staring at her sister's sleeping face, Evie's world stood still as she watched, frozen. Her breath was stuck in her chest.

Elaine's eyes fluttered.

"Elaine? Lea?" Evie asked, her heart beating fast.

Elaine struggled to keep her eyes open; they seemed heavy and red, but they were open. Shifting around, Elaine turned towards Evie.

"Eve?" She croaked.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me," Evie cried.

She watched as Elaine's tired, red eyes melted from confusion to fear. In one moment, a panic jumped to her eyes and she started squirming and searching the room in front of her.

"Calm down, Lea," Evie ordered, trying everything she could to stop Elaine from potentially hurting herself.

But Elaine was now trying to roll herself out of bed, but her arms gave way and she fell back down to the mattress Once she started shaking and heaving, Evie stepped away and ran towards the door.

"John!" Evie called out into the hall. "John! … just had to take a coffee break now?" She mumbled angrily to herself.

Approaching her sister like one would approach a scared animal, Evie slowly dragged a chair over and waited for Elaine to calm.

"Where am I?" Elaine croaked as she shivered.

"A safe place," Evie promised, bringing up the blankets to her sister's shoulders.

Elaine rolled over and tucked her knees into her chest, closing her eyes. Evie waited, brushing her hair back from her pale, clammy face. Elaine opened her eyes again and watched Evie.

"Where is Eggsy?"

Evie gave her a sad look.

"The Kingsman, you mean?"

Elaine nodded, but it looked like the movement made her nauseous. Evie sighed and climbed into the bed next to her like they did when they were children.

"It's best if you stay away from him," Evie said.

Elaine was quiet for a moment, closing her eyes once more and snuggling deeper beneath the blankets as she attempted to put her thoughts; her memories, in order.

"I thought he loved me," Elaine whispered.

Evie looked away.

"That's what they do." She said. "They give you false hope and then abandon you,"

Elaine's lip quivered.

She adjusted the blankets around Elaine again as she still looked clammy and weak, but Evie didn't know she was crying until Elaine reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek. She smiled and took her hand. Clearing her throat, she moved to fluff Elaine's pillow.

"You need to save your energy. We need to start moving."

"What do you mean?" Elaine asked, her voice hoarse.

Evie hesitated.

"I mean there is a big bag terrorist group out there after me and being a twin, that means I have to keep you safe, too." She said quietly.

Elaine seemed to gawk for a moment, then settled into a look of vague remembrance.

"What does that mean?" Elaine repeated

Evie hesitated again, looking down before giving her sister a sad look.

"It means they want me dead. It means they want you dead."

They both stared at one another. When Elaine said nothing, Evie quickly spoke up.

"But I have a plan. There's a reward of 800,000 bucks for anyone who takes care of you and with that money, we can cover our trails and… I don't know… run off to Iceland? Somewhere safe. I promise it'll work, Lea."

Elaine yanked her hand out of Evie's and tried not to cry.

"And how exactly are you going to _take care_ of me, Evie? What? You gonna kill me and then revive me when we're in Greenland?"

Elaine's voice was still hoarse and weak, but her surprise and fear was a strong tone that bit Evie without remorse.

"Iceland."

"What ever."

"There are ways to fake someone's death. Easy."

"Please tell me you aren't serious?" Elaine asked, her voice shaking.

Evie turned her head shrugged. She tried to hide her fear, but Elaine was always good at reading her. And vise versa.

"I want to sleep," Elaine whispered.

* * *

John burst through the door out of breath with a fresh coffee stain on his button-up shirt and almost collided with Evie.

"John?" She started.

"I… There was a…"

He doubled over as his breath came and went harshly.

"What the hell? What?" Evie said, impatient.

"The Kingsmen… They've found us,"


	17. Finding Elaine

**I am soooo sorry. The past few months have been all sorts of hectic and I kind of abandoned the story for a hot sec. But I finished my Senior paper, graduated, and am now a bonafide adult! … I just have to find a job.**

 **In the meantime, I am fully devoted to this story now that senior paper and school is not a looming threat over my head and I can finally breathe again! I hope I haven't upset or lost any of you as this has been my longest break yet. In retrospect, I should have told you guys that there was going to be a short hiatus, but I'll do so in the future.**

 **SO, if you've forgiven me, put aside your burning fury at my absence and enjoy this chapter!**

 **P.S. I'm changing the rating to T because I think it will reach a larger audience and I don't foresee any M rated scenes happening soon.**

 _John burst through the door out of breath with a fresh coffee stain on his button-up shirt and almost collided with Evie._

" _John?" She started._

" _I… There was a…"_

 _He doubled over as his breath came and went harshly._

" _What the hell? What?" Evie said, impatient._

" _The Kingsmen… They've found us,"_

Earlier that day

Eggsy went back to Elaine's apartment. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he figured when she came back, she would want some clothes. With a care he hoped Elaine would appreciate, he took some of the dresses he had seen her wear often and pack them into her duffle. Her duffle was floral, of course.

Descending the stairs with the packed bag, Eggsy set it on her small kitchen counter and found an extra bag of cat food. Herschel was getting low and he didn't know where to find the food she used. Tucking it under his arm, Eggsy grabbed everything and walked out of the kitchen.

He started when a knock came at the door. Dropping the haul, Eggsy slowly approached the entrance and opened the door, his opposite hand resting on his gun.

Standing on the other side was a nice looking girl with a parcel in her hands and blond hair in messy curls. Seeing him, she smiled widely and let out a nervous laugh.

"Hi! Am I at the right place?" She asked, shifting the parcel in her hands and looking around Eggsy into the apartment.

"Uh, maybe," Eggsy said.

Behind the door, he put his gun back. He didn't particularly feel like dealing with her energy, but she kept talking.

"I'm Lizzy Page, well, Elizabeth. But everyone calls me Lizzie. Ah...Lizzie Page." She bounced. Eggsy didn't know how someone seemed to bounce when they talked, but this Lizzie Page did.

"Alright," Eggsy said, doing his best to hide his annoyance.

She shifted the parcel to her other hand and walked past him into Elaine's apartment.

"Um," he reached out to stop her but hesitated with annoyance.

He reminded himself he was a gentleman.

"Is Elaine here? I have a dress for her to tailor for me," Lizzie held up the parcel.

"No, no." Eggsy was caught off guard. He coughed. "She's… gone for the week."

"Oh," Lizzy looked crestfallen. "Well tell her I stopped by next time you see her?"

If Eggsy hadn't learned how to school his features around his fellow agents that watched his every facial tick, the worry and hurt would have shown. However, Eggsy smiled and told Lizzy he would tell Elaine she stopped by.

Shutting the door behind him, Eggsy leaned against the wall and let down his tired guard.

* * *

As Eggsy was slumped against Elaine's shabby apartment door in Greensboro, Lancelot and Merlin stood watching their newest detainee from the double-sided mirror. The room was dark and had a lingering smell of coffee.

"He's a wreck," Roxy observed, spinning her empty mug in her palms.

"That he is," Merlin said.

If Roxy was being honest, she would have to say that Merlin was bored. The man in the interrogation room was going to be easy to crack. They only had him for around 24 hours and he was breaking down already. Merlin had talked to him in the beginning but got nothing out of him besides some nervous mutterings and a plea for immunity or at least a phone call. If Roxy were to guess, it would just take a couple punches to get the information out of him before he spilled his guts. As to why they didn't just do the less civil method was beyond her. Even a more persistent 'bad cop' would get something out of him.

"I want you to try next," Merlin said.

Roxy nodded.

"Be nice, though. I want him on our side."

Roxy blanched.

"Why?" She asked harshly. When Merlin gave her a stern glare, she cleared her throat and took a more respectful tone to her question. "He's a repulsive man and he shouldn't be allowed an easy forgiveness."

Merlin sighed and adjusted his glasses.

"I'm not entirely sure he's guilty," Merlin said, staring through the window. "I have a hunch that he was coerced into this little charade and he seems to clench up when he's scared. But, if a calm, diplomatic woman were to talk to him, he might be more inclined to answer some questions."

Roxy took a deep breath.

"Elaine is my friend, too," she said.

"Are you saying you can't do it?" Merlin asked, his eagle eyes turning to scrutinize her.

Roxy shook her head, set her empty mug down and walked to the door.

"No, I'm just saying I'd rather take the interrogation a different way," she all but seethed.

* * *

The doctor was sitting in a locked room in a location unknown to him. The harsh fluorescent lights hanging above him beat down, suffocating him. With one handcuffed to the cold metal chair, Doctor Gould was left in freight, fidgeting and squirming as he waited for the second interrogation to begin.

"If you're going to have a go, then you'd do best to bloody do it already," The doctor muttered under his breath. There was, of course, a double-sided mirror in front of him (there was always a mirror when it came to these things) and he knew he was being watched, but he was too scared to shout or scream his agitation aloud. Instead, he settled for a wimpy mumble under his shaking breath.

A door slammed in the hallway on the other side of the room he was locked in and he jumped, pulling his bound hand painfully.

Shaking his head, Doctor Gould brought his chin down to his chest in some false hope of privacy and whispered to himself.

"... should have never listened to her…"

And so he continued for a while; whispering to himself and tricking his mind into thinking he would have some type of immunity or leeway. Hell, he didn't even know who he was dealing with. The woman who called herself Theodora had warned him about the sinister Kingsmen, but never went into detail about their sins or dangers or, more importantly, their interrogation techniques.

The doctor's nerves were so tightly wound and on emergency alert that even the smallest echo of a sound made him jump. So he almost soiled himself when the metal door swung open and closed again with a sharp, resounding click of the lock.

"Hello," A tall, sleek woman with brunette hair in a tight bun greeted. Pulling out her chair, she sat and neatly folded hands on top of the table in front of her. "How are you Mr. - Michael Gould."

"Doctor," he muttered under his anxious breath.

Roxy gave him a small, reluctant smile. Remembering what Merlin said, she tried her best to channel the diplomat within her.

"Doctor Gould." She corrected herself. Taking a steadying breath, Roxy began the conversation with soft, even words, and a diplomatic smile. "I think we can both agree that this doesn't seem like the place for you."

She waited for the Doctor's reply, which was only an unsure nod.

"You took an oath to save people," Roxy continued. "And you don't seem like the kind of man who would go against an oath as important as the one you took."

It was at this point that Roxy opened the file in front of her and started casually looking through the information presented to her. Gould shifted forwards, trying to get a look into the folder she leisurely flipped through.

"Top of your class at Oxford, you've been the president of the hospital's medical board since 2014, and you've done multiple charity events and important medical research. You don't seem like the kind of vagrant that would kidnap a patient."

She settled her gaze on the man seated across from her and tried not to put any burning accusations into her eyes.

The doctor opened his mouth, and then looked down and clamped it shut.

"I can't help you if you won't talk," Roxy said gently.

"I didn't want to, she forced me…" He looked as if he were going to be sick. Clamping his mouth shut even tighter, the doctor shook his head and looked up at the ceiling.

"Who are you talking about?" Roxy prodded.

The doctor shook his head.

"You don't understand. She'll ruin me," his voice quivered and he seemed to shrink back even farther into the chair if that was possible. "And she warned me about you Kingsmen."

"Who is 'she'?" Roxy asked again, this time with more force. "We are on your side. This is your best chance at getting out of whatever you're tied up in."

"I don't know who she is," The doctor said. "I can't help you."

* * *

Roxy walked into the room opposite the one Gould was locked in. Merlin and Gawain stood facing the window with scowls set into their brows. Gawain's frown was more pronounced, his fists clenched.

"Well, that was a bloody waste of time," Roxy said, collapsing in a chair. When Merlin gave her a stern look, she straightened.

"We are getting closer," Merlin said. He clicked a pen against the metal table as he stared at the doctor. "He's beginning to doubt the mastermind behind this mess. He'll talk to us soon if he knows what's good for him."

Beside him, Gawain muttered an agreement. Roxy took a breath, then stood.

"Let me know if you need me to interrogate him again," she said, cast one more glance at the doctor.

Merlin nodded, his eyes remaining forward.

* * *

Eggsy was jogging with JB.

He had nothing else to do. Every step his feet took pounding on the concrete sidewalk made his shoulder pinch and pulse painfully, but it took his mind off Elaine and the guilt that was always lingering at the corners of his mind.

Coming to a halt, Eggsy collapsed on a bench and took a moment to catch his breath and grit his teeth through the sharp protest of his shoulder. Someone came up and sat on the bench next to him.

"I've been looking for you,"

"Yeah, I guessed from the million voicemails you left me," Eggsy said between his labored breaths.

Roxy's phone rang.

"Yes?" Roxy answered.

She suddenly straightened and gave Eggsy a startled look.

"Are we sure?" She asked the person on their end of the line. She turns her back to Eggsy, but it didn't stop him from listening to her. "I'm with Galahad, sir... Yes. We'll be there in ten minutes."

"We'll be there?" Eggsy asked.

"Gawain got a location out of Gould."

"Let's go, then," Eggsy jumped up.

"Wait," Roxy stepped forward and put her palm out to stop him. "Merlin said you could only join if you promise not to fall out of line,"

"I'll stay in line. I put my life on it," Eggsy said, JB barked as if confirming his promise.

Roxy smiled.

"I knew you would say that. Come on,"

* * *

Ten minutes later, Roxy, Eggsy, and JB were walking into HQ when Merlin approached with a watchful eye.

"Lancelot. Galahad." Merlin nodded.

"Why are we lazin' around here?" Galahad practically yelled. He was still wearing his joggers and sweats. Figuring they would change into tac gear, he didn't bother wasting the time for a suit.

"We're almost ready," Merlin said before casting a sharp eye towards Eggsy. "I will not hesitate to pull you if you are unable to comply with the terms of the mission."

"I know," Eggsy said immediately. "I'll stay in line."

"Then let's move out," Merlin said, throwing Eggsy the tac gear.

* * *

This was a failing mission. If 'mission' were the right word.

John scoffed as he set his coffee on the windowsill and checked the rusted lock on the entrance. His car was parked at the side of the building which was probably a terrible idea, but he didn't think there was a more discrete option. Besides just not being here.

He dropped his bag by his feet and pulled out his sweater and jeans. Ever since he accepted this 'job', he made a habit of keeping a change of clothes here. Full hours at the hospital and full hours during the night didn't leave much room to run home. It was the hectic life of a resident by day and kidnapper by night. Or was vigilante the right word?

"No, vigilantes don't get paid," John muttered to himself, grabbing the coffee and taking a long sip. "And probably don't kidnap people, either," He tossed the scrubs in his bag and buttoned up his shirt.

But it wasn't as if he had a choice. Well, he did have a choice, but this was by far the most lucrative one.

Once he stuffed his scrubs in his bag, John opened the heavy metal door, coffee still in hand. He was returning to his car when sharp headlights flashed around the corner and halted in front of the building they were hiding in. Ducking down and holding his coffee with sweating hands, John closed the door an inch, watching as a couple soldiers with guns stepped out of the black vans. Forgetting about his hot coffee, he clenched his fist only to have the cup break.

"Shit!" He pulled his soaked shirt away from his skin, the coffee burning.

Throwing the soaked cardboard cup to the side, John dropped his bag and sprinted from the entrance.

* * *

John burst through the door out of breath with a fresh coffee stain on his button-up shirt and almost collided with Evie.

"John?" She started.

"I… There was a…"

He doubled over as his breath came and went harshly.

"What the hell? What?" Evie said, impatient.

"The Kingsmen… They've found us,"

Every bone in her body froze.

"Evie?" John said, still breathless. Taking a step forward, he shook her shoulders with his own tremoring hands.

She backed away from John. Evie ran her hands over the sides of her face, her short blonde hair falling forward as baggy eyes starred alertly at the door to her left. John noticed that his 'employer' always managed to look somewhat put together; crisp clothes, proud stance, confidence in her decision. But, staring at her now as she tried to choose between him and the door Elaine slept behind, John could clearly see that the tight seams holding her together were suddenly unraveling faster and faster.

"I'll get Elaine," John said, pushing her towards the back door. "Just go!"

"No! I'm not leaving my sister behind," Evie said, pushing John right back.

He stepped back, giving Evie a reluctant look.

"Maybe," John started with hesitation, knowing she wouldn't like his suggestion, "maybe it would be best to leave her with the Kingsmen?"

She scoffed.

"No," Evie fought.

"We've just administered her with a new drug that we don't completely understand," John yelled. He could hear the front down burst open. "She's stable now, but what about tomorrow? What do we do when she needs more medical help?"

"That's why I have you!" Evie shouted, running her fingers through her hair. "And I'm paying you enough to listen to me!"

"A resident. I'm not even a full doctor!" John shouted back. "This isn't good enough!"

Evie watched as John paced, his hands shaking. The Kingsmen were getting close, they were quiet, stealthy, but it was obvious. They had maybe a minute.

Evie turned and looked at the door leading to her sister. She didn't know how she made her decision, but she turned around, shoved John out the opposite door into the side of the building the Kingsmen were approaching from.

"Hey! What the hell?" John shouted, standing up and taking a step towards her.

Evie pushed the heavy metal door closed and locked it as he ran to stop her. The lock fell into place easier than she had expected. John pounded on the other side. A bullet ricocheted off the opposite side of the door made Evie jump. Freezing, Evie waited for John to call out, but he was silent.

"You understand, John," she said, turning to get her sister.

* * *

Eggsy kicked the foot of the man laying on the ground.

"Why 'da shoot a suspect?" Eggsy hissed at Roxy.

"Is he still breathing?" Merlin asked through the comms.

"Yes," Roxy said, giving Eggsy a pointed glare. "We'll need someone to interrogate."

Bedivere ignored them, walking to the door the man was propped against.

"The door is locked," he said, kicking it.

"It's unlikely there was only one perpetrator," Merlin said, static from the comms buzzing in Eggsy's ears.

"Then we'll have to find another route." Eggsy said with impatience.

"Lancelot?" Bedivere asked, turning away from the door to face the team leader.

"Right." Roxy shuffled before straightening a bit. "Bedivere and I will stay inside the building and Galahad, you go around the back. Someone may try to make a run for it."

* * *

Evie was wheeling Elaine out back. She felt bad about John, her mind lingering on the sound of him pounding on the heavy door she locked him behind and the gunshot that followed. Shaking her head, Evie focused, pushing her guilt out of her mind.

Evie caught Elaine as she started slumping forwards in the wheelchair; her strawberry locks falling into her face as her shoulders caved.

"Elaine. Lea!" Evie said, shaking her sister.

Elaine mumbled something but moved enough so as to stable herself.

They neared the van and Evie just needed to get Elaine in and then they could make a run for it. All she got out of Elaine again was a grumble and a vague groan of pain.

Huffing, Evie slid the van door open. Turning, she pulled Elaine closer and prepared to shove her in the van as carefully as she could. Evie had her arms around her sister when she heard the distinct sound of a gun cocking.

"Let go of Elaine and turn around." The voice demanded with a sharp anger.

Evie carefully let go of her sister, setting her gently down back into her seat. Elaine was now barely conscious, her eyes hazily looking up at her and she seemed to be growing paler and paler by the minute.

"Gwen," Elaine couldn't vocalize, she just mouthed her name.

The shuffle of footsteps came closer, just a foot or two, but enough to know that the soldier behind her was impatient.

"I said turn around!" He shouted.

Evie straightened, staring down at her sister. It looked like she was dying.

Before the man behind her could take drastic measures, Evie stepped away from her sister and raised her hands.


	18. Forgetting

**Hello, Lovelies! I know it's been too long between chapters again, but I am here again with the continuation! I also just realized that a lot of other authors I see reply to reviews at the end of each chapter. I hadn't really thought of that, but it seems the least I can do to show the gratitude I feel for all of you who have left comments. So, that being said, I will be periodically going back to previous chapters and editing in my thanks and replies to my lovely reviewers. I know it seems a bit random to just spontaneously add review responses on the 18th chapter, but I love it when other authors do it, so I thought maybe everyone here would also appreciate it?**

 **Updating will be my first priority, however, so updating will be on the back burner, but I'll do it when I have the odd free hour now and again.**

 **Thanks again for your readership and I appreciate everyone so flipping much!**

* * *

Eggsy lowered his gun.

Staring back at him was Elaine. But this version of Elaine looked different; her hair was chopped short and dyed a harsh blonde, her mouth was set in a scowl below chilly eyes that only seemed warm at a glance because of the fear that lingered behind them. She was cold and calculating and the lingering fear he saw behind her eyes shrank the longer she glared at his gun. Her hands slowly rose in the air.

"Evie," Eggsy said, staring at Elaine's lost sister frozen in front of him.

Evie stared at him in hate and took a step towards her sister, who she was now standing in front of.

"Hey," Eggsy said. He holstered his gun and raised his hands in front of him. "We're only here to help."

Evie scoffed, putting a protecting hand over her sister's slumped shoulder.

"You Kingsmen have never helped anyone," Evie spat.

"Agree to disagree," Eggsy countered, trying not to take her insult personally. "Just come with me and we'll work all this out."

Evie dropped her protective hand from Elaine and took an aggressive step towards Eggsy.

"I can't just 'work this out'," Evie shouted condescendingly. "You don't know anything at all, do you?"

Eggsy dropped his hands and was ready to shout back at her. He could see Elaine behind her and she was growing paler by the moment; her unconscious eyes fluttering open but failing to wake. And Evie was the reason Elaine wasn't getting immediate help.

"I know Elaine needs help and I know you are wasting valuable time she might not have!" Eggsy shouted back, matching Evie's tone.

Evie looked back at her sister, her face losing its anger in place of fear.

"So," Eggsy said as he approached Evie. "The Kingsmen will help you work all of this out and protect you and Elaine," Eggsy said, waiting as Evie looked between him and her sister.

"I'll go," she finally said. "But only for Lea."

Eggsy silently walked up to her. There was an unspoken consensus between them that they disliked one another, but still, Eggys felt strange putting the handcuffs on her. Once he was sure she couldn't try anything, Eggsy brought the comms.

"I've got Elaine. Meet me at the back of the building."

Bedivere answered an affirmative and said he was heading their way.

* * *

Elaine woke up beneath bright fluorescent lights. Her mind was scattered and there was a vague echo of a headache, but the sheets she was currently tucked beneath felt better than those she had been in before. Rolling over, Elaine closed her eyes and tried to block out the lights.

"Why do I feel like I'm always waking up in different places?" She moaned, raising her hand to cover her eyes.

Pulling herself up to sit in the cot, she looked around. The blurriness of the room faded after a moment. She pulled back her soft sheets and set her bare feet on the chilly ground. The hospital gown she was in was too thin and she shivered as she stood up. There was a robe on the chair next to her. She slipped it on and sat back down on the bed.

"I need bunny slippers," she whispered absentmindedly to herself.

There was a crawling feeling in her gut that told her she wasn't supposed to be here, or that this was completely foreign environment. Waking up in this bed made her recall another place she had woken up, but now, trying to recall the details of that other place, she couldn't think of anything or who was there.

Shaking herself out of the memories that were locked away, Elaine scanned the room for anything familiar, but there was nothing to ground herself with. Nothing.

Elaine sighed, holding her forehead with a shaking hand. The vague echo of a headache she had earlier was becoming a bit louder than a vague echo and the longer she sat there, the louder her stomach growled.

Standing up once more, Elaine walked out of the room she had woken up in and peered around the corner of the corridor. It was empty. Deciding to be brave, she continued; her bare feet that lacked warm bunny slippers echoed softly against the walls.

It was when she got around the third corner that she heard quiet voices carrying from one of the rooms. Approaching the door with caution, she leaned against the white walls three feet away and listened.

"When will she fully recover?" Someone asked.

"Fairly quickly. The medicine that was given to her was at the end of the trial period, but it seemed to be extremely effective," another man said. "Someone who was in an automobile crash as severe as she experienced would still be in a critical condition."

There was silence. Elaine was tempted the slide down the wall she leaned against and rest. Instead, she yawned and continued to eavesdrop.

"Does she have any side effects from the drug?" Someone asked. A younger man. He was talking more than the other people and she was drawn to him. There was something familiar in his voice.

"None that we can tell at the moment." An older, sterner man said. "Once she's awake we'll get a better idea of the drug's effects and the severity of her condition."

There was a drawn-out pause.

"She's strong, Eggsy," a woman said.

There was shuffling around the room.

"What about her sister?" The younger man asked.

"Bedivere is transporting her to a safe house," The older man said.

"Safehouse or containment?" The younger man countered.

"Eggsy," the woman said.

"What? She clearly put her sister in danger, not to mention she took her out of the hospital while she was still in a coma and gave her a drug that we know nothin about!" The young man yelled.

The woman made a beginning of an argument but the older man interrupted her.

"Eggsy is right. Just because we've thought of Evie as being an ally on our side shouldn't blind us to the fact that she might not want our help and might even be working against us. We are sending her to a safe house, but it has been modified to serve as containment."

There was another drawn-out silence, except this silence, had a thicker tension.

"The next move should be putting Elaine in a safe house," the older man said. There was another shuffle, something clinked against a glass table. "Don't say it isn't necessary Eggsy because you know fully well you won't be able to protect her 24/7."

Elaine pushed against the wall beside her and walked closer to the door the voices were emanating from. Tugging her robe tighter around her, Elaine closed her eyes and tried to ignore the thumping memories trying to get out. She had a vague recollection of voices and the people to which they belonged to, but just when she was about to remember, the knowledge slipped from her grasp.

"Alright," the younger man said. "But I want-"

Elaine walked the few remaining feet to the door. There were three people inside. Like she thought; an older man, a younger man, and a woman. The woman was facing the door and the first to notice her.

"Elaine?" The woman said, striding across the room to be by her side. The woman was hesitant, but Elaine felt comfortable.

The stranger even seemed familiar. Looking away from the woman at her side, Elaine looked at the two men in front of her, holding her gaze on the younger blond.

"Elaine," he said, guilt heavy in his eyes.

Looking away from the guilt she didn't understand, Elaine turned her eyes to the room and the other two people in it.

"Where am I?" She asked with caution.

"Somewhere safe," the older man assured.

The familiar woman left Elaine's side and stepped closer to the severe man and whispered something about more sedatives.

"Um," Elaine hesitated, she looked down at her bare feet on the cold floor. A heavy feeling was beginning to coalesce in her stomach. She met the eyes of the blond again, head spinning. "Where am I?"

Her voice was hoarse.

The strangers in front of her looked at each other. Her head hurt too much to read into it.

The woman walked up to her, placing a hand on Elaine's shoulder.

"Elaine?" The woman said in a quiet voice.

"I'll call Dr. Johnson again," The old, stern man said.

Elaine watched him walk out of the room. She was too caught up in taking in everything that she didn't notice the blond man stepping forward to stand next to her, his hand on her back.

"Where am I?" Elaine asked again, looking up from her feet to the room around her, to the people around her. She looked straight into the blond man's eyes but, again, he seemed to be sorry, guilty of something. Elaine's mind was too foggy to figure out what it was or, frankly, to care.

"Do you know who we are?" The woman next to her asked.

Elaine looked between them both. They were familiar, but just barely. Looking back at the woman who had asked the question, Elaine just shook her head. The two people on either side of her exchanged worried glances. A wave of fatigue came over her.

"I jus' want to go back to sleep," she said, self consciously catching the slight slur to her words. If she had had the energy, she would be embarrassed.

Not really caring about etiquette or social norms or whatever was telling her not to, Elaine leaned into the blond man's arms and closed her eyes. Her face ungracefully smooshed against his warm chest, Elaine sighed as he wrapped his arms around her and held her up. There were whispers between the two, but Elaine didn't care to listen.

"I'll tell Merlin to bring Dr. Johnson to meet you there," the woman said.

"Good," the blond man whose arms her around her replied.

The man she was smooshed against put his arm under her knees and swept her up. She must have complained or made a sound because he gave her a quiet reassurance that everything was alright and continued walking. Elaine closed her eyes again and listened to the strong heartbeat beneath her ear.

When she opened her eyes again, the blond man was setting her in the bed in which she first woke up. There was another man standing on the opposite side. He had a stethoscope and a clipboard ready, hovering over her. Elaine looked up at the new stranger while the blond ran his hand over her hair, tucking it behind her ear.

The stranger approached her, putting the cold stethoscope on her chest.

"You said she doesn't remember you?" The man said.

"Yeah," he shifted.

Elaine looked up at the blond, watching his features nervously twitch.

The doctor gingerly moved her face so she was looking at him.

"Do you remember him?" He asked, gesturing to the blond man sitting next to her.

"No," she said.

The doctor shifted the stethoscope, eyes narrowing in concentration. He removed the stethoscope, putting it around his neck again, and then asking Elaine to follow his fingers with only her eyes. She did, he didn't say anything. There were other tests, too, but all Elaine wanted to do was close her eyes and let the fatigue wash over her.

"Why can't you leave me alone," Elaine grumbled when the doctor asked her to sit up.

Her hand was squeezed. Elaine looked down and saw that the blond was holding her hand, but she couldn't remember if he had been holding it the whole time, or because she complained.

"Let's give her a break, yeah?" The blond man next to her said. The way he said it and the way the doctor reacted to it made Elaine think the blond had authority over the doctor. Unsurprisingly, the doctor relented and stood.

"We will eventually need blood samples, Galahad," the doctor said, a twinge of annoyance in his voice.

"And we'll get them later," the man called Galahad said. He dropped her hand and faced the doctor. There was a harshness to his voice that wasn't there before.

The doctor stood up and walked around the bed to face the blond man.

"I don't think I need to remind you that we will eventually need to deal with your shoulder, as well," the doctor said.

The blond scoffed and crossed his arms.

"I'm cleared, so I think you can cross me off your patients list."

"I didn't clear you though," the doctor said, exasperated. "You cleared yourself which is something I do not condone!"

"We're done here," the blond said sharply. "I'll call you if Elaine needs your help."

The doctor huffed, but left well enough alone, and stalked out of the room.

"He's always been a jerk," Galahad mumbled as he watched the doctor disappear. He uncrossed his arms and Elaine could see his forehead crinkled in pain. His hand automatically went back to hold Elaine's.

When he fully turned his attention back at her, he glanced at their hands and apologized. He took his hand away and Elaine immediately felt the absence of his warmth. He awkwardly cleared his throat and receded a step away from Elaine. "Do you… Do you want me to stay or leave?" He said, an air of uncomfortableness about him growing stronger. It made Elaine want to smile.

"You can stay if you want," she said, not taking her eyes off him.

He nodded and left her side. Shrugging off his jacket, he sat down in one of the chairs by the wall and closed his own eyes.

Elaine rolled to face him, fluffed her pillow as much as she was able, and watched him relax in the chair.

"Hey," Elaine said.

He opened his eyes again and looked at her.

"Is Galahad your real name?" She asked.

He seemed to be caught off guard about the question, but soon relaxed against the chair again.

"No," he admitted, scratching the back of his neck. He seemed to consider the question before answering. "My name is Gary."

"Gary," Elaine whispered. She finally smiled at the name and closed her eyes. "That's a funny name."

She heard him laugh lazily before dozing off to sleep.

* * *

Bedivere was riding in the transport van. He never really liked them, but hell, who enjoyed riding transport? He hated to admit it- as it didn't show class nor manners to brag about one's refined tastes, but there was nothing better than a smooth ride in a ridiculously expensive car. So as the bulky van bumped down the road, it was easy to say he did not enjoy it. But what made the transport infinitely more uncomfortable and awkward was that Evie was sitting directly opposite him. Her hands were chained to the seat below her and she stared at the metal floor in either defeat or boredom. Knowing her, it was probably boredom.

"Do you have anything to say?" Bedivere whispered.

She gave a halfhearted laughed, still staring at the floor but instead of a passive, bored stare, it grew intense and resentful.

Moving her glare up to him, she continued her silence, eyes boring into his.

"Alright," he said, giving up for now.

After another five minutes, he decided the silence was silly and broke it.

"I missed you," he said

Evie balked. She waited for a moment to stare at him in anger.

"You… You missed me?" She condescended.

Bedivere shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. Perhaps volunteering for this particular transport watch was a mistake.

"I don't really understand the hostility you are throwing at me," Bedivere said, starting to become angry now. But the last thing he had expected Evie to do was lunge at him. Her wrists caught as the cuffs clanged against their lock.

"You don't understand?" Evie yelled, still lunching at him as the chains kept her back. She sat back down, but sat at the edge of the metallic bench "Really? You can't fathom why the fuck I'm throwing some shade at you?"

Bedivere took a centering breath and leaned forward. He didn't feel centered in the slightest.

"No," he said, giving the woman he loved a glare. "I honestly don't because we; the Kingsmen, are here to help you all you seem to be doing is resenting that help!" He didn't mean to raise his voice at the end but he couldn't stop it.

Evie didn't say anything. She just glared at him in disbelief.

"You broke your promise," Evie threw back.

"I didn't break anything!" Bedivere yelled, standing up. "You are the one who ran away!"

"Ran away!?" Evie screamed, lunging against her chains again. "You're the one who abandoned me in that hell! You are the one who gave up!"

"What?" Bedivere sat down, watching her rage morph into an angry variation of sadness.

"You are the one you gave up on me. You are the one that didn't care."

"Evie-" He reached out to touch her hand.

"Don't touch me!" She spat, pulling her hand away as far as her cuffs would allow.

Not knowing what to do, Bedivere dropped his face into his hands.

"Please believe me when I say I don't know what you are talking about," he said carefully.

Evie contemplated him. Her hands were still bound so the tears rolling down her face started to dry and itch.

She was about to explain when the van lurched to a stop. Bedivere stood up, his gun pulled and pointing towards the doors at the back of the van. When there was a metallic clang and the doors cracked open, Evie kicked the gun out of Bedivere's hand and when he turned to her in surprise, she kicked him straight in the nose, knocking him out.

After he had fallen to the floor in a heap, the metal doors to the back of the van swung open.

"You alright there?" Jones asked.

Evie held up her hands and Jones walked into the van and unlocked them.

"What did you do with the driver?" She asked.

"Dead," he replied.

Evie sighed, but went with the current course of things and rubbed her wrists where the cuffs had dug into her skin.

"We need to get away from here," Evie said, taking no hesitation in walking out the van. She dries her cheeks as discretely as she could.

"What about him?" Jones gestured towards Bedivere lying unconscious on the ground. Jones held the gun up.

"We need him alive," Evie said quickly.

Jones looked at her, suspicious of her immediate reply.

"But he won't be unconscious much longer, so we need to gag and cuff him."

Jones nodded.

* * *

When Bedivere came to, he was slumped over and staring at the metal floor of the transport van. Straightening up, the cool metal cuffs locked around his wrists prevented him from standing up. Shaking the chains, he looked up only to realize his mouth was duct taped as well.

Evie walked in and sat where he had previously been.

"I didn't mean to do this to you," Evie said. "But you gave me no choice."

Bedivere's head was still splitting open from the ache from the kick, but he had enough sense to glare at her.

There was a silence as she appeared to be choosing what to do next. Leaning towards him, he saw that she had chosen to be angry.

"I waited for you at the docks for hours," Evie looked at him in hate, but he saw the tears collecting at her lashes. "I sat there for hours and hours just waiting for you to come and rescue me. You told me you would be there," Evie looked down and laughed at herself. She quickly wiped a tear from her cheek. "And the funny thing is that I actually thought you would be there."

Bedivere moved his hands.

"And when Devron found me he…" Evie stood up and walked to the door and took a shaky breath. But Bedivere could see from the set of her shoulders that her resolve was set and resolute. She turned around and returned to her seat across from him.

"I should actually thank you, Todd," she said. She meant it to sound angry, but instead, it came off as ironic. "You taught me that the only person I can trust is myself. And Elaine is the closest person I'll ever get to an extension of myself."

Evie leaned back and looked out the door of the van.

"So I'm going to come back for her," the fire was back in her eyes. "And when I do, don't try to stop me."

And with that, Evie walked out and slammed the doors to the transport.

* * *

Eggsy had all but drooled over the armchair in the sitting area of the common room when Roxy walked in. It was well past midnight, so the common room was usually a safe place for Eggsy to nap without being caught, but perusal, Roxy made sure to ruin things.

"Rox," he said, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"I thought you would have been in with Elaine," she said, sitting down in the armchair next to him.

Eggsy sat straighter and cleared his throat.

"Yeah, I don't… I just feel weird being by her, like I'm lying to her all over again."

"We don't know for sure if Elaine found out what we do. Why punish yourself for something that isn't certain?" Roxy asked.

"Because it doesn't matter. I lied to her for almost the entirety of the time I've known her and sooner or later she's going to realize it. I should just bale out now before I hurt her more than I already have."

There was a pause between them before Roxy punched his good shoulder.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" Eggsy yelled, rubbing his shoulder.

"You're such a feckin' idiot! You want to be a coward and 'bale out' now when Elaine needs you most?" Roxy chastised. For good measure, she punched his shoulder again.

"Stop hitting me!" Eggsy complained as he attempted to shield himself to a third punch.

"Not until you start making sense!" Roxy yelled back.

"Galahad, Lancelot," Merlin snapped.

In an instant, both Roxy and Eggsy stood straight.

"There's been an incident with the transport," Merlin reported, walking up to both of them.

"What kind of incident?" Roxy asked before Eggsy could.

"Evie escaped with the help of another. They killed the transport driver but left Bedivere alive."

"Where is he?" Roxy asked.

"On his way," Merlin said. "He'll rendezvous with you and Elaine at the airfield."

"You're taking a piss, aren't you?" Eggsy spoke up.

"Language, Galahad," Merlin said.

Eggsy rolled his eyes. It wasn't the first time he was reprimanded for language and it bloody well wasn't going to be his last. Nevertheless, he dropped the profanity and tried to get Merlin to see that possibility was ludacris.

"What about Elaine's condition? She all but collapsed when she was walking about," Eggsy said.

"She needs to be in a safe place,"

"This isn't a safe place?" Eggsy countered.

Merlin sighed.

"The longer we keep her here, the more danger she's in of gathering information about this organization and I would much rather refrain from taking more drastic measures than we already have," Merlin snapped. "Elaine is going with you and that concludes this conversation. We need to get her into a safe house immediately."

"What's all this about the safe house, though?" Roxy spoke up. "Evie is gone and Callisto is probably more focused on her than Elaine."

"Because," Merlin pinched the bridge of his nose and Eggsy started to see just how tired Merlin was. "There is still the possibility that Callisto will use Elaine as bait for Evie as well as the fact that when Evie escaped, she made a threat to Bedivere about coming back for her sister and we don't know who she's working with or what her intentions are."

"Come on, Merlin, Elaine's her sister. How bad could her intentions be?" Eggsy asked.

"I don't intend to find out." Merlin snapped. "Get Elaine to the airfield immediately."

Eggsy raised his hands and ran them over his face. Stopping Merlin before he could leave with the last word, Eggsy blocked the door.

"A few days, Merlin. That's all," Eggsy said.

Roxy didn't say anything, but she stood by Eggsy and waited for Merlin's reply.

Merlin gave a moment's thought before reluctantly nodding his head.

"I'll give her two days to recuperate."

REVIEW REPLIES!

 _To FlutterbyB: I'm so glad the emails updating you to the story bring you so much joy! I'm sorry there's so much time between, but thank you for sticking with me!_

 _To Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967: Glad you loved it!_

 _To RoseQuarts: Thank you! I'm glad I graduated, too! Life is busy, but I really need to dedicate more of my time to this story._

 _To Jill: I'm glad you enjoy the story! I have written a one-shot of how Elaine and Eggsy first met and I'll definitely be posting that soon._

 _To Moonstars: I'm also super glad I haven't given up on my story!_

 _To Guest: I know!_


	19. Recovery

**EDIT: I'm unfortunately on Hiatus. I'm unhappy with my writing and I just feel like its a first draft. So, I'm doing some edits and fix-ups and I'll be back in no time.**

 **ALSO! LIONI WILLIAMS! I am so sorry for forgetting to give you a shout out for your art! I feel like a butt and I haven't gotten it up yet, but I will! Thank you for not hating me!**

 **On another note, I'm going to be posting a one-shot about how Elaine and Eggsy met in the next few days, as well. I've really loved writing it and I hope I did justice to how everyone imagines they met. It's not so much a cute meet as it is a… concerning meet? Is that the right way to put it? I don't know. It'll make sense once you read it. I personally think it's the bee's knees, so I hope all you do, as well.**

 **So, here is the 19th chapter.**

* * *

Much to Eggsy's surprise, when Merlin's allotted two days were up, Elaine seemed to be entirely recovered. Besides the very blatant amnesia lingering in her eyes, she was no longer suffering from intense bouts of fatigue, save for a few minor waves here and there. She had also gotten into the unfortunate habit of refusing to stay in bed. Instead of staying put and listening to Eggsy when he said it was in her best interest, Elaine stubbornly started wandering around the halls.

Eggsy always tried to be the one to find her, knowing that Merlin was already not too keen on having her here and he didn't know how other agents would react to an aimless girl wandering the corridors of the headquarters. In fact, yesterday, Eggsy had caught up to Elaine just in time to stop one of the lower ranked Kingsmen from reaching for his gun.

After that precarious situation, he nearly begged Elaine to stay in her room. But like the headstrong, stubborn, beautiful girl she was, Elaine simply crossed her arms and stuck her freckled nose up at him. It was unfortunate and did no good for his nerves, but seeing the life grow stronger in her every day made all the trouble worth it.

But her stubbornness was becoming dangerous, no matter how beautiful and alive she looked with that emerald fire back in her eyes.

Because of that, he also employed Todd and Roxy in keeping an eye on Elaine since Eggsy couldn't be here 24/7. But, neither could they. Needless to say, Eggsy was actually relieved to see the end of the second day. Despite the fact that Elaine was going to be whisked away to a safe house, knowing that she was safe seemed better than this option.

He was a few doors away from the medical ward when his phone rang.

"Yeah," Eggsy answered.

"Lancelot just secured a safe house in Salzburg," Gawain said over the phone.

Eggsy hesitated a few feet away from the medical ward. Checking both the tone and volume of his voice, he took a step away from the door Elaine was behind.

"Austria?" Eggsy asked. "I would have thought we would keep her closer."

"In this case, Galahad, it seems better if we keep our distance. She'll be protected there," Gawain reprimanded in a way Eggsy could only describe as understanding.

"Yeah," Eggsy nodded, clutching his phone tighter. He looked back at the door closest to him. "Of course."

"I'll have Lancelot contact you with the details," Gawain said.

"Right, thank you."

Huffing, Eggsy ran his fingers through his hair and reluctantly turned back to the door behind him.

When he stepped into the medical ward, all he found was an empty room. Like the other times she had gone missing, the bed she had slept on was made and no one would think someone was missing if Eggsy wasn't expecting her to be there.

"Of course," Eggsy grumbled under his breath. He reminded himself that this was his last day and he could stop worrying about her running into trouble at HQ.

Bursting out of the ward in a hurry (which was the 6th time he had done so since Elaine started to feel better) he headed in the direction opposite of where he caught her last night. He figured she would probably hedge her bets and look places she hadn't looked previously.

Unfortunately, Eggsy was in such a hurry that he didn't notice another person enter the medical ward once he burst out of it.

"Eggsy?" Bedivere called at the other end of the hall.

Eggsy turned back to see Bedivere stepping out of the medical ward.

"Todd," Eggsy said, trying not to wince.

Todd closed the door to the medical ward and walked towards Eggsy with a frown.

"Elaine isn't here," he said with a grimace, having had chased Elaine this morning, as well. Eggsy was guessing that Todd; based on his annoyed expression, was just as eager to stop this chasing game just as much as Eggsy was.

"Yeah, yeah," Eggsy nodded, trying to be as casual as possible. When Todd started to question him, Eggsy tried waving off Todd's concern. "She couldn't have gone far. I'll find her in a snap."

He heard Todd sigh as he strode up to match Eggsy's hurried strides.

"You know, locking the door would have been the solution to this problem," Todd said, giving Eggsy a displeased look. Though, he knew there was also concern somewhere in the midst of Bedivere's annoyance, as well.

"And just make us the enemy?" Eggsy said, shaking his head. "She doesn't remember us! We need to build the trust back up."

Todd scoffed.

"Yes, and chasing her down every other second is the best way to do that," Todd said, giving him a skeptical look which Eggsy ignored.

"She never goes far," Eggsy reasoned.

"Except when she almost made it to the plane hangar," Todd deadpanned.

"Yeah, well," Eggsy began, grimacing at his fellow agent. "Just bugger off while I take care of this."

Todd rolled his eyes and turned on his heel before calling back.

"I'll search by the hangar again."

Eggsy rolled his shoulders and tried to ignore the creeping feeling in his spine.

* * *

Elaine was beginning to get a grasp on the layout of wherever she was. She knew that when exiting the room she was always herded back into if she turned left there was a short hallway with three doors on either side. All doors were locked. If she walked further (quite a bit further) she got to a set of doors that read 'AIRCRAFT HANGAR", granted she was able to slip past the mysterious men and women walking around in suits and umbrellas.

It was ridiculous, really… the number of people carrying around umbrellas.

But she decided that route was a dead end as both the dark haired man and Gary seemed to have caught her in that general area the last few times she searched for a way out of the mysterious, unnamed place.

So, she decided when she snuck out of her 'prison' for what seemed like the millionth time, venturing to the right was the best option. Having only explored it at a glance, Elaine thought her chances were better.

But after walking for who knew how long, there was still no sign of an exit and Elaine acutely felt the absence of a watch on her wrist.

"I mean, honestly! How can they not have an exit?" She mumbled to herself.

The blond man; Gary, had found her yesterday just when she thought she had found her escape, but he herded her back into the medical ward and told her to stay put. She had a hunch that he managed to convince the woman from before and a tall, lean, dark-haired guy to help keep her in, too.

"I'll show you," Elaine grumbled to herself. "Keeping me locked in here like a rat."

She was still in the itchy dressing gown she had woken up in with the slightly less itchy robe and she couldn't stop thinking about flowy dresses and old, soft jeans and knit sweaters. Honestly, the assigned attire was the worst part of this confusing ordeal and it was pushing her over the edge.

"Finally," Elaine said to herself once she reached a door she hadn't seen before.

She placed her hand on the handle and twisted.

* * *

When Eggsy finally found Elaine, she was standing in front of the door that led to the munitions storage. Still barefoot and wearing the hospital gown and robe from two days ago, he could hear her frustrated mutterings and quiet curses as she yanked on the handle with all her strength.

"Elaine," Eggsy said, catching up to her in a few long strides.

She jumped slightly and stepped away from the door she was at.

The bland, off-white gown made her red hair and freckles stand all the more out and even though she had returned from her coma with sallow and pale skin, the sudden strength and energy she was now gaining back made a soft rosy blush rise up into her neck and cheeks. Although, Eggsy guessed the blush was due to anger more than anything.

"Why are you always following me around?" She said, stepping away from him and walking away down the corridor to her left.

Eggsy wavered but continued walking by her side.

"Because you're supposed to be in the medical ward," he tried not to say it in a patronizing way, but based on how many times he'd had to track her down, he was sure she was getting tired of him stating the same thing over and over.

Elaine spun on her heel, her hair twisted around shoulders and her green eyes glaring at him.

"No," she said, her fists clenching. "I'm sick of the medical ward and I am not some prisoner."

She stepped closer as if to challenge him, crossing her arms and silently waiting for him to refute.

Eggsy scratched the back of his neck and tried to be patient.

"You need to-"

"Rest?" Elaine finished, her brow raising. "Except I don't."

She continued walking, turning away from him.

Eggsy tilted his head back and tried to be a calm and collected gentleman.

"Well, actually you _do_ need rest. You also need more-"

"I need more what?" Elaine asked more harshly this time, pivoting to turn her annoyed eye at him. "Testing? Blood draws? Psych evals? What more could I possibly need, Gary?"

"Well-" He thought, but he couldn't really think of anything. But Elaine had already turned around and continued her exploration of the Kingsmen headquarters.

"What I need to do is figure out where I am," Elaine said. "And since you won't tell me, I'll figure it out myself."

"Elaine, I've already told you!" Eggsy groaned.

"No, you haven't! A physical therapy center? What kind of unbelievable nonsense is that?" She exclaimed, throwing her arms up and challenging him again to make up a more logical answer.

When he could only look at her in displeasure, she huffed and continued searching.

Taking a few long strides to catch up with her, Eggsy caught her shoulders and turned her to face him.

"Alright, I," Eggsy started, knowing that a lie that involved a portion of the truth would be better, and more believable than an outright lie. "You were in some danger and some people were after you," he explained, hoping the absolute bare minimum would be enough to satisfy her curiosity.

Elaine looked at him intently, waiting for him to elaborate. But he just stared back at her, hoping that would be enough to get her to trust him.

"You know that was super, super vague, right?" Elaine said, raising her eyebrows.

Eggsy searched for a better explanation but came up short. Elaine narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms as she waited for a reason to trust a man she had no memory of.

When his silence stretched on for too long for Elaine's comfort, she raised her leg and stomped on his foot with her heel. When she searched his face for any discomfort or pain, he just looked at her.

"That didn't hurt you?" Elaine asked, annoyed. "At all?"

"Well, I'm wearing shoes," Eggsy said sheepishly as he shrugged his shoulders. "And you're also barefoot."

Elaine huffed and walked away.

"I'm not going back until you tell me who is trying to hurt me and why and how I got here and what this flipping place even is and who you are and where my clothes are."

Eggsy mentally prepared himself for what he knew he had to do. He followed closely behind her.

"I just want you to know, I am really sorry about this," Eggsy said, matching her step.

Elaine turned her attention to him in worry, looking him up and down.

"Sorry about what?" She asked, speeding up only to find that Eggsy easily matched her faster pace.

Suddenly, his hands were around her waist and lifting her over his shoulder.

"What the hell?!" She yelled, his shoulder digging uncomfortably into her stomach.

"I told you I'm sorry, but this is for your own good," Eggsy said.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Elaine tried kicking her legs, but he fastened his arms tightly around her knees. So she pounded her fists on his back but it didn't seem to be making any difference.

"I said I am sorry, but you're being a pain in the ass!" Eggsy said as he carried her back to the medical ward. The doctor had assured him that her abdominal wound had healed perfectly and shouldn't cause her more pain, but he was beginning to doubt how valid that assessment was as Elaine wriggled in his grasp and cried out for him to put her down. "I promise I'll explain everything soon."

* * *

Elaine sat on her designated prison bed.

She sat on her prison bed, in her prison clothes, and stared at her prison wall. Looking down at her hands, a dot of vibrant pink caught her eye. The paint was still clinging to the edge of the nail on her ring finger. She couldn't remember painting it, or why she did, but it made her think that at some point she was happy enough to paint her nails such a vibrant, lovely color.

"Ugh, can you just pull yourself together?" Elaine sniffled. She brought the sleeve of the itchy hospital robe up to her face. It no doubt made her cheeks even more red and puffy. In lieu of that, she decided to have tear stained cheeks were better than scratched and puffy ones.

Someone cleared their throat in the doorway.

Elaine rushed to wipe her tears away.

"Hey," Gary said, walking into the room. The bag he carried caught her eye. Floral and embroidered, the duffle he carried was the last thing she expected to see Gary lug around with him.

Elaine turned back to looking at her prison wall and sniffled.

"That bag doesn't go with your suit," she said. She hated how the crack in her voice gave away her emotions.

"Probably for the best," he said and Elaine carefully avoided his eyes even when he set the floral duffle on the bed next to her. "It's yours."

Elaine looked up at him again. Narrowing her eyes, Elaine grabbed the bag and pulled it towards her.

"Should I be worried you have my bag?" Elaine asked, wiping the last few streaks of tears that were now drying uncomfortably on her cheek.

Eggsy shrugged his shoulders and sat down in the chair across the room from her.

"If you want," he said. He hesitated before sitting down in the chair by her prison bed. "You might not believe it, but we were friends before the accident."

Elaine pondered him.

"What changed?"

He let out a humorless laugh.

"Amnesia?" He said, but sobered once he met Elaine's confused eyes. "I never want you to be scared of me, or think I'll hurt you."

"I've never thought that," Elaine whispered, avoiding his eyes. "But I will stomp on your foot a second time if you ever throw me over your shoulder again," Elaine said, bringing her eyes up and tried to glare at him. But she ended up giving a reluctant smile.

He agreed to that.

Eggsy thought about what Roxy said. What Elaine needed was a stable life with stable people in it, and Eggsy's life was anything but stable. He needed to distance himself, but not when Elaine needed him most. He would help her through this time and when she was healed, things would be over. And this was the perfect opportunity to distance himself.

"I'm sorry if this has ruined a friendship," Elaine said.

"Yeah… well. We're acquaintances, really." He shrugged, pretending he didn't feel the gaping chasm opening up between them.

"Acquaintances," Elaine repeated, studying him.

"Nothing more," he assured and she seemed to buy it. He felt his heart constricting. They were never going to happen.

"Well," Elaine started, biting her bottom lip. "Thank you for my bag."

Eggsy thought she would never take her studious eyes off him; those big emerald eyes above freckled cheeks making his knees weak. But finally, she turned her eyes to the duffle he brought her.

And he was glad he was there to see her because as soon as she opened the duffle, her face lit up.

"You brought me clothes!" She laughed as she pulled out the items he had packed. She hugged a pair of jeans and a knit pastel sweater close to her heart. "You were listening to me," she said with sincerity.

"It's not hard to listen when you're being yelled at," Eggsy said.

Elaine nervously twisted a lock of her hair around her index finger.

"Sorry about that," Elaine said, looking at him with kinder eyes than before. "Though I'm not going to totally apologize because I still need to know things. And, again, you threw me over your shoulder. But… Thank you."

Eggsy just waved his hand.

"Yeah. I figured you might want out of those itchy dressing gowns." Eggsy said. "I thought the staff was having a laugh when they said it was the best, but they're better for mopping the floor."

Elaine laughed the way he remembered her laughing, the type of carefree one he always tried to elicit out of her the days he went to Columbia street. Those days seemed like decades ago.

"I'm not going to disagree with that. These robes are sucking the life out of me," Elaine said, digging through the bag to the very bottom, taking out a pair of flats. She looked back at her clothes, then at him, and a deeper blush grew on her cheeks. "Do you think you could…?" Elaine said shyly.

"What?" Eggsy said, confused as to why Elaine was suddenly so bashful. Seeing his confused response, Elaine gestured towards the clothes he brought her. "Oh! Of course, yeah. Sorry," Eggsy said, jumping up and leaving.

* * *

Eggsy was waiting outside of the medical ward when Todd came to stand by him. They both leaned against the wall and stood in silence.

"What does she know?" Todd asked.

Eggsy sighed and looked at the door. He had given her enough time to change, but he didn't know how to breach the subject that she was going to be leaving.

"Nothin' much. I told her this place was a therapy center. Didn't buy it for a second."

"And what about where she'll be going?" Todd asked.

"Haven't told her anything," Eggsy said, kicking his heel against the wall behind him. "I don't know how to do this."

"Shouldn't be that hard," Todd reasoned. "She has amnesia. I don't think she would feel completely misplaced. And Salzburg is a lovely city."

"And what about when she remembers?" Eggsy protested, pushing himself away from the wall. "We've completely upended her life, not to mention that we've added in bullets and safehouses."

"Well, she was already in danger before you came in her life," Bedivere pointed out. "Her sister made her a target the moment she joined that group."

Todd did a poor job of hiding the bitter tone to his voice; probably wasn't even trying to hide it. Eggsy shifted and realized he hadn't given a thought to how Todd might be feeling.

"How are you doing with that?" he asked, feeling as if he were walking on eggshells.

Todd shrugged, avoiding Eggsy's eyes.

"I guess it was good to see her again. To know she's safe," Todd mumbled, grimacing. "Would have preferred it if she'd actually listened to me, but," He was going to continue, but he closed his mouth and shrugged, digging his hands in his pockets. After a moment of silence, Todd cleared his throat.

"I came here to tell you that Elaine's flight leaves in 3 hours. We should start moving." Any semblance of regret or anger towards the mention of Evie dissipated.

Eggsy nodded, more to himself than to Todd. He waited until Todd disappeared around the corner before walking towards the medical ward. Shaking off the way his hands shook, he straightened and began to brace himself.

* * *

Elaine was sitting cross-legged on the bed and playing solitaire with a deck of cards Eggsy hadn't realized were in the bag. She looked up when he knocked on the side of the door frame and gave him a small smile. And when she did, Eggsy noticed she looked so much happier wearing her own clothes. And she must have felt happier because she certainly was more willing to listen to him.

"Haven't run away yet," Elaine said with a small smile that was stained with the slightest embarrassment. "But thank you for checking up on me."

"I'm glad I was able to appease you with clothes," Eggsy joked as he stepped farther into the room. "But if I had known that would do it, I would have given you those the moment you woke up."

Elaine rolled her eyes before looking back down at the solitaire game she was in the midst of.

"Don't forget the entertainment, too," she added, holding up the cards in her hands.

"Who's winning?" Eggsy asked, standing at the foot of her bed.

"So far?" Elaine sighed, still looking at the cards sprawled out in front of her in frustration. "Not me."

Eggsy just smiled. Her hair was now tied up in a bun with little strands falling out of it. In her faded blue jeans and daisy t-shirt, she looked like the carefree Elaine he had fallen in love with. She looked up and mirrored his smile.

Eggsy cleared his throat and sat down in the chair to the side of her bed.

"So, now that you're doing better,"

"Much better," Elaine interrupted, no doubt thinking back to the relentless bouts of fatigue and nausea that had plagued her not three days ago.

"Well, now that you are better, we feel that you are good enough to leave."

"Really?" Elaine said, her smile widened and her eyes showed her surprise. Without hesitation, she swiped her palms over her game and put them back in her duffle. Jumping off the bed, she slung her bag over her shoulder and took a step towards the door. "Am I allowed leave right now?"

Eggsy couldn't help but laugh at her eagerness.

* * *

When Eggsy and Todd led Elaine into the tailor shop, they didn't think anything of letting her wander. The driver wasn't here yet, and there was nothing incriminating or suspicious in the shop. But as Eggsy leaned against the front desk and picked at the chipping wood at the corners, he couldn't understand why he couldn't take her to the airport himself.

And also protect her himself.

Eggsy was brought out of his sullen thoughts when Elaine spoke from the other room.

"Something about this seems familiar," Elaine said as she turned about a pin cushion in her hands.

Eggsy peeked his head in the doorway and looked at her oddly; which she didn't see as she was still turning the pin cushion in her hands. Glancing up at the wall in front of her, she walked past Eggsy to the bolts of expensive fabric and ran her hands over that, too.

"Do I work here?" She asked, turning expectantly to Eggsy.

"Yes," Eggsy said suddenly.

Bedivere walking into the room and gave him a sharp, side-eye look.

"You are an intern… for…." His sudden improvisation was lacking the proper knowledge of tailoring jobs.

"Fabric purchasing," Bedivere finished.

"Yes. fabric purchasing."

When Elaine turned back around to inspect the bolts of fabric once more, Eggsy gave Bedivere a grateful look.

"I do remember spending a lot of time with fabric," Elaine said absentmindedly.

"And," Eggsy said, making up shit as he went, "You are the best bloody fabric purchaser we have here!"

"Oh?" Elaine said, giving Eggsy a fleeting look before venturing into the next room. Bedivere stifled a laugh.

"Too enthusiastic?" Eggsy asked below his breath to Bedivere.

"Yeah, a bit," he confessed.

Eggsy nodded and wondered how he was going to pass this off as a believable scheme.

"Mr. Brown," Eggsy realized they hadn't filled Elaine's 'supervisor' in on the spontaneous role.

"Merlin is going to have fit," Todd whispered back.

"I'll deal with that later," Eggsy said, not entirely convinced he was capable of dealing with it. Hell, he was just one mistake away from being cut, but Merlin had a habit of threatening Eggsy with termination and he figured if he hadn't been cut by now, he might be able to pass this off.

Both of their attention fell on Elaine as she ran her fingers over various tools and fabric, completely oblivious to the debate behind her. Todd huffed but turned back to Eggsy.

"You distract Elaine and I will catch Mr. Brown up on the situation."

Eggsy walked into the next room and watched Elaine admire the machine.

"You only have one machine," Elaine said, running her hand over the Singer machine.

Eggsy scratched his neck and nodded.

"We make small alterations here in the shop, but the more serious and detailed alterations we send to our bigger atelier in central London."

Elaine nodded.

"That makes sense," Elaine said as she turned around to look at the place she supposedly worked at. "Gary?"

Eggsy turned around to see Elaine looking sheepish. She was nervously pulling at her sleeves and avoiding his eyes.

"Yeah?" Eggsy prodded.

"Well," She started. "About before. I'm sorry for the way I acted."

Eggsy smiled to himself. Several memories of Elaine's stubbornness stood out to him. Seeing her like that again, defiant and fighting common sense, released the stress of the world he didn't know he was carrying.

"I think you already apologized for that. And even if you didn't I think you had the right to be upset."

"Well, I still feel bad, so," she hesitated, concentrating on drawing a pattern on the table she was at. "Yeah, I just wanted to say that again."

Eggsy smiled and was about to reassure her when he was interrupted.

Bedivere walked into the room with Mr. Brown by his side and coughed to get Eggsy's attention.

"Hey!" Eggsy said too enthusiastically. Bedivere raised an eyebrow and Eggsy reeled it back. "Hello. Mr. Brown, Elaine is coming back to work with us again."

Mr. Brown, the fantastic retired Kingsmen that he was, took the unexpected situation with exemplary confidence.

"I was beginning to worry," he said kindly as he walked up to Elaine and reached out to hold her hand.

"Oh," Elaine said, her cheeks burning. "I- I'm sorry I worried you. But I'm better and I'm ready to get back to work."

Mr. Brown simply smiled at her with warmth.

"Now, gentlemen," Mr. Brown said, turning to Eggsy and Todd. "Elaine and I have much to catch up on, so kindly leave us to our work."

Elaine looked nervously at Mr. Brown.

"Are you sure?" Eggsy said quickly, stepping to stand closer to Elaine, his hand reaching out for the small of her back. "'Cause I can stay if you want, I really don't have any-"

"That's alright," Todd jumped in, pushing Eggsy towards the door. "Me and Eggs-"

"Gary," Eggsy interrupted.

"Gary," he corrected quickly. "Gary and I will be going," Bedivere said, looking every bit skeptical as Eggsy felt.

* * *

Once the two men were gone, Mr. Brown led Elaine to the back room and assured her everything was going to be alright.

"Now, tell me everything you remember," Mr. Brown said once he and Elaine were seated at the back desk.

A heavy feeling of guilt settled in Elaine's stomach. What kind of person forgot those around them? But then she remembered that it wasn't actually her fault. Taking a deep breath, she settled into the truth.

"Not much," Elaine said, biting her lip, she nervously shifted in her seat. "I… I'm sorry I don't remember you."

"Oh, hush, hush," Mr. Brown chastised, patting her hand that sat beneath his own wrinkled ones. "I know that automobile accident did a number on you. You needn't worry about forgetting little old me."

Elaine smiled and nodded. Giving a rueful laugh, Elaine shook her head and looked down at her hands

"I guess the only thing I remember is that car crash," Elaine admitted. She hadn't actually realized it was the only thing that stuck out in her mind before Mr. Brown asked her what she remembered.

"How terrible," Mr. Brown said, his old eyes pulled into worry.

"That and my sister," Elaine said, venturing to gaze up at him to see that Mr. Brown didn't wear the pity she had expected, but the look of someone who had gone through pain, as well. Tightening his hand on her's Mr. Brown kept questioning her.

"Your sister? She was in the accident with you?"

"No, I don't think so," Elaine said. She actually didn't know for sure if Evie was or wasn't in that car with her, but she felt like she was close as a result of the crash. "But, a lot of things are still hazy."

There was a silence as both Mr. Brown and Elaine took in what she had said. After the moment was up, he straightened and gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Then move your thoughts to more pleasant things," Mr. Brown said, patting her hand again. "How would you feel about examining some fabric with me?"

"I would love to," Elaine smiled. She may not remember much, but she did know fabric brought a smile that she couldn't fight.

* * *

"I didn't realize, Mr. Unwin," Merlin said in the doorway behind him. "That we were accepting another employee under our management."

Eggsy had thought he could avoid this argument for a day longer, but he should have known going back to headquarters would make him a sitting duck.

"It makes the most sense, Merlin," Eggsy said, turning to face him.

"Does it?" the director challenged with a raise of his eyebrow.

"Yeah, it does," Eggsy challenged back, crossing his arms.

Merlin waited.

"If Elaine works for the Kingsmen, then we have a surefire way of keeping an eye on her and Mr. Brown can make sure no funny business is goin' on, plus, keeping her around London might help her memory. Everybody wins."

"You mean you win?" Merlin snapped.

"No! Of course not!" Eggsy fought angrily. "I'm trying to do what's best for Elaine and locking her away in Austria isn't gonna do any good for her! She's a person, Merlin, and she doesn't deserve to be uprooted like this for things out of her control."

Merlin pinned him down with a glare but thought silently; which Eggsy saw as a good sign.

"I suppose we could use her to lure Callisto out of the shadows," Merlin said, his eyes narrow and full of strategy.

"What?" Eggsy balked. "No, no, no, no, that is _not_ what I meant by keeping her around."

Merlin picked up a tablet and started typing.

"Well, you are not the director of this operation and it is my decision that we will keep employing her and use her presence to lure out the terrorists. They are bound to be getting desperate. But by the sound of how Evie escaped, she has help in her crusade. Getting through to her may be more difficult than I had anticipated." Merlin said, looking up from his tablet. "Anyhow, Bedivere confirmed that Evie said she would return for her sister, so we may just capture one bird and kill the other."

"Are you sure that's the bes-"

"Yes I am, Galahad," Merlin snapped. "I bloody swear you are the most contradictory person I've ever met. First, you want Elaine here, then you think its a bad idea, and you keep contradicting yourself over and over. Honestly Eggsy, pick one."

"I want her to be safe," Eggsy said, gritting her teeth. "I don't want her to be locked away and I don't want her to be treated like bait."

After a moment, Merlin softened and walked up to Eggsy. "If it's any consolation, Elaine will be under near constant observation by our agents and- even if it may prove to be a detriment- I will allow you to be the Kingsmen that accompanies her out."

Eggsy scowled.  
"Accompanies? You make it sound like she's gonna be under house arrest, or something." Eggsy said, concerned that all this just might push Elaine even farther away than she already was. But then Eggsy remembered he needed to push her away.

That plan away always being pushed out of his mind. Maybe it would have been better to send her away, Eggsy thought glumly.

"Since we are not sending her to a safe house, we are bringing the safe house to her," Merlin said. "Elaine is the closest extension we have to Callisto, and seeing as how we have got virtually nothing on Callisto, we need someone to bring them out of the shadows and Elaine is now our only option."

Once Merlin walked out of the room, Eggsy unceremoniously unbuttoned his jacket and slumped down in the nearest chair.

"I just keep fucking everything up, don't I?" He said to no one in particular, not that there was anyone in the room to hear him grumble.

* * *

 **Review Responses:**

To _MoonStars_ and _Gossamermouse101_ : I'm sorry about the memory loss! I personally (don't hate me) feel that amnesia is a great trope when done well, which hopefully I manage. I have plans for when she remembers and I am SO excited to post it! Thanks for your review!


	20. The Intern

**Yes, I'm back… My apologies for the break. I'm basically working on two projects at the moment; this story and another one I hope to get published relatively soon (soon being years?) Unfortunately, this fanfic, while I love it, doesn't make me any money so I diverted my energy for a couple of months towards a book I hope will be a success. One can only hope!**

 **I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I've made it twice the length of my normal chapters to make up for my absence. Thank you for sticking with me!**

It was a dreary evening in Lower Manhattan when a secretive meeting was scheduled to take place. After work hours and after all of his co-workers had left, Antony Gunman stayed in his office. He starred out of his window into the rain looking not at all pleased with the meeting; but at 30 flights up, the skyline offered no calming city view, only a fogged pane of glass obscured by the storm. In lieu of a vista, he clicked his pen annoyedly at his mahogany desk and checked the security feed again.

The first to walk into Antony's office was a sleek woman with iron-straight black hair that fell to her waist. Silver bracelets clinked at her wrists as she walked and every step she took was punctuated by a stiletto heel. Immediately following her was a man looking intently at his phone.

The woman sat down in the chair closest to Antony's desk and her follower stood directly behind her.

"How are you, Siobhan?" Antony asked, not out of genuine concern, of course.

The woman ran her hand through her hair, straightening it until it lay smooth against her side.

"Fine, I guess," Siobhan said dispassionately. "Devron is getting on my nerves, though. This grand plan of his is something from a sci-fi book."

"He's always had a flair for the dramatic, but I can't drag his ambition," Antony said, leaning back and checking the security footage for the next guest. "And where is Leonard? He should have been here by now."

"Retirement," Siobhan shrugged as an explanation.

The man behind her checked his phone and showed it to her. Siobhan looked at the screen and nodded. Then he stepped back again and typed something before looking up and scanning the room.

"Why don't you tell your lackey to sit down," Antony suggested.

"I prefer him to stand," she said in a rather bored tone as she studied an acrylic nail. "I want him to be ready for anything. You know how those Kingsmen can be."

Antony nodded with a frustrated frown. He thought of his own workers who had recently been taken out by the do-gooder agents. After a moment of brooding, he looked over at the security feed and his expression went even more sour.

"Here comes the old fart now," Antony said, standing up and taping his knuckles on his mahogany desk.

Siobhan turned her cheek an inch towards the door as an old, stout man with deep laugh line wrinkles into his cheeks walked into the conference room. To make matters worse for Antony, the newcomer had shown up wearing what can only be described as tacky golf attire; bright green knickers, plaid vest, and a gold golf hat, to boot. He rubbed a bulbous nose as he approached Siobhan.

"Good to see you, Leonard," Antony said, not even bothering to hide the mocking tone.

But Leonard ignored the tone and sat down opposite Siobhan.

"My apologies for being late, the game ran over a bit," Leonard said, huffing as he sat back in his seat. He patted his stomach and then adjusted his hat.

Antony visibly glared at the newest guest.

"We're just glad you made it, Leo," Siobhan said.

"You are at least convincing," Leonard said, shooting a humorous look towards Antony which made the latter look even more displeased.

"As you know, Devron wants us to figure out what to do with the Evie situation," Antony said, folding his hands on his desk.

"Because you had your people teach her out to beat Devron's plan?" Leonard prodded.

Antony stood up and slammed his hand on his desk.

"She was his wife at the time and how was I bloody well supposed to know what she would do?" Antony yelled.

"Calm down, both of you," Siobhan said, not bothering to hide her eye roll.

"Why are you even here, Siobhan. It's not like you're useful, you little bitc-"

"I'm here because Devron wants me to keep an eye on you," Siobhan said, his words bouncing off her. "And I would hate to give him a bad review."

Antony closed his mouth into a rigid line. Leonard looked amused. Taking a deep breath, Antony sat back down and folded his hands again on his desk.

"I've decided to sent Bill to Elaine."

"Are you stupid?" Leonard scoffed. "What's the sister got to do with this? She's not the one threatening the whole operation!"

Antony bit back an insult. Instead, he put on his half-assed diplomatic smile.

"Evie knows what Bill can do. We'll send him to draw her out. Fear is the way to go. And once we have Evie, we can dispose of Elaine."

"Then just kill Elaine, for fuck's sake!" Leonard yelled, throwing his arms up. "Just get her out of the picture. Her death will be a gut punch to Evie and she'll be weak. Problem solved. Why do we have to go through with this manipulative nonsense? Time and efficiency are the key."

Siobhan nodded.

"I'm sending Bill," Antony said, mentally counting to ten.

"Why? He's fuckin' useless," Leonard said.

"He's not called Mr. Death for nothing," Antony quipped, trying to level his opponent with a glare.

Leonard just huffed and rubbed his belly again. Siobhan spoke up when it was obvious the two men were having a silence match.

"Did Devron approve this?" she asked.

"Devron gave me the authority to deal with this," Antony snapped. "And a spoiled whore and a bag of bones won't change my mind!"

Leonard stood up, stepped to the desk in front of him and pointed a wrinkled finger at Antony.

"I may not be Devron's right-hand man anymore, but twenty years of loyalty has more sway than you think," he said, glaring at the man before him. "You've never held half the power I've had and I doubt you ever will. And this spoiled whore can have you shot between your greedy eyes. Show respect when respect is due, you little twat."

Antony's mouth closed again in a tight, angry line.

"I think that will be all," Antony said, folding his hands on his desk.

Leonard just shook his head and left the room with a huff. Siobhan followed, her bodyguard a step behind her.

Seconds later, he and Siobhan rode the elevator to the bottom floor.

"I don't understand that kid," Leonard muttered. "He's got something coming to him, let me tell you. Maybe we should frame him?"

Siobhan could hear his teeth gnashing.

"Really, Leo," She sighed, leaning against the side of the elevator. "Don't you think you're being a bit melodramatic?"

"No," Leonard snapped.

Siobhan leaned over to see what news her guard had on his phone. Seeing nothing of interest, she turned back to Leonard.

"If you're really so upset about it, you should take to Devron."

"I did. He said to discuss all ideas with the new kid on the block. But that 'honcho' isn't fooling me. And I don't care what anyone says; Bill can't do anything right. 'Mr. Death' my arse."

Siobhan wrapped a lock of black hair around her finger.

"That's not true," she said, moving to adjust a silver bracelet. "I think Bill has gained some true respect from the projects he's helped with."

They were silent for a moment.

"I'm going to do this my way," Leonard suddenly decided.

"What do you mean?" Siobhan raised a sculpted eyebrow.

"I'm going to get to Elaine before that oaf completely fucks up his plan. I'll teach him what efficiency can do."

"Do you already have a plan?" she asked.

"Abduct her and make a spectacle of her death. That'll show that little turd," Leonard said, then pausing to think for a moment. "And if that doesn't work, then machine guns will have to do."

Siobhan just sighed and shook her head at the drama of the old man.

* * *

Blissfully ignorant of the plots of her murder, Elaine started her day with relative normality. Despite the sky being a little too gray and the London drizzle weighing down her curls, she made it to work on time and seeing as how this was the first day with her memory being out of commission, she considered it her first day on the job.

Stepping into the shop, Elaine took off her coat and tried to keep the frizziness of her hair at bay.

"I see you made it in just fine, Miss Elaine," Mr. Brown said, walking around the counter and taking her coat from her.

"Um, yes," Elaine said, still not used to the unknown in which her amnesia had thrown her. "It was a little rainy, but I've always loved the rain."

At least she remembered most of her life.

Mr. Brown agreed.

Once her coat was put away, Mr. Brown suggested walking through the layout and organization of the atelier since she had forgotten her time working there.

"Our little shop is held to high standards, so naturally there are many rules you must abide by," Mr. Brown said as they walked.

"Of course," Elaine nodded, clasping her hands in front of her and taking everything in. The shop was small but very classy.

"Savile Row is the premier outfitter for the modern gentleman and this specific shop is frequented by many powerful players; both men and women. You are not expected to dote or wait on any customer. Space is key."

"Right," Elaine nodded again.

"Good," Mr. Brown nodded back. He turned to a room to the far left of the shop. Opening the door, he waited as Elaine walked in. "This is the accessories room."

Her gaze was caught on all the odds and ends a gentleman would need; watches, cigarette lighters, oxford shoes, and sleek black umbrellas. She reached for one of the watches when Mr. Brown stopped her.

"I think it is prudent that you focus more on the tailoring than the accessories," he said, taking a step closer to her and looking wearily at the watch she was reaching for.

"Yes, of course," Elaine said, dropping her hand from the elegant men's watch, completely unaware of the poison darts it held.

"I know it seems a bit odd," Mr. Brown said, his shoulders relaxing now that Elaine wasn't reaching for any of the gadgets. "But this is one of Savile Row's most important policies. The designers and tailors stay in the atelier and the stylists stay with the accessories."

"I understand," Elaine nodded again. Not that she actually did, but this was Savile Row; they could have as many strange policies as they liked.

Mr. Brown seemed pleased with her understanding.

"Now, let's go back to the suits," he said, leading the way to the other side of the shop.

As the orientation went on, Elaine couldn't stop the suspicion that this wasn't a normal tailor shop. Her suspicions were peaked when she noticed a golden insignia on a door; a horizontal 'K' inside a circle. When she asked Mr. Brown about it, he just gave her an answer she didn't quite believe. Elaine could have sworn she'd seen it before. She let the matter drop, but her suspicions kept rising at every turn.

Mr. Brown kept telling her what things she couldn't poke her nose into, almost as if ordinary objects were bombs in disguise, not to mention the fact that a lot of suited men entered the shop, but didn't appear to leave. It was like they were disappearing into a hidden layer or something. The possibility of the tailor shop being a front for a gang crossed her mind, but she immediately shook it away. But again, the day just got weirder when Mr. Brown showed her one of the suits.

"Why do we use a flat-fell stitch for the hems? That's a pretty strong stitch for just taking up a hem. A herringbone stitch would give more flexibility and space to the seams," Elaine said, inspecting the jacket closer in her hands, pulling at the hems. "And this interior lining kind of feels like kevlar. Isn't that used in like, I don't know, military clothing, or something?"

Mr. Brown seemed to hesitate for a moment. Elaine put down the jacket and looked to him for an answer.

"We cater to our client," Mr. Brown said after a moment of hesitation. "While some choices are odd, we design the piece the client pays for."

"Bulletproof suits?" Elaine asked, raising her eyebrow at the kevlar-lined pinstripe suit in her hands.

Before Mr. Brown had the chance to explain to Elaine, the bell at the entrance ringed. Elaine knew they would just disappear in the back of the shop, though.

"Better go see the clients," Mr. Brown said.

Elaine knew it was only an evasion, but she knew better than to argue with him.

Stepping into the main room of the shop behind Mr. Brown, Elaine saw two faces she'd seen before.

"Elaine," Gary said.

The other man was talking to Mr. Brown by the counter when Gary pulled Elaine to the side of the room.

"How's it going?" he said.

Elaine paused, thinking of all the details of the day that made her doubt everything. But with Gary standing beside her, his hand on her arm, eyes searching hers to make sure she was alright made all the doubt and suspicion fall away. Elaine was safe with him.

"It's been a lot, but I can see why I loved it here," Elaine said, inching towards him.

"Really?" Gary said his smile widening. "Everything is alright?"

Elaine smiled to match his own.

"Yes. Really, really," she said.

For a moment, it looked like Gary was about to embrace her; as he stepped closer and leaned towards her, Elaine was sure her heart stopped. The urge to kiss him washed over her like a wave.

Gary stepped back and cleared his throat.

"Good, that's… that's good," he said in a business-like tone.

Elaine hesitated as well, unsure of what went wrong.

"Um, thanks. I better go back to work," Elaine said, gesturing to the other room.

"Of course," Gary nodded.

Elaine turned to walk back to the room she entered from to catch the curious glances of Mr. Brown and the other man Gary had come with. Pausing for a moment and looking back at Gary, she saw he was no longer paying attention to her, so Elaine quickly entered the other room and escaped the stares.

* * *

"Well, that was a mess," Eggsy said, shaking his head at himself.

He and Bedivere were in the tube en route to HQ and Eggsy was internally kicking himself for his encounter with Elaine.

"What do you mean?" Todd asked.

"I don't know," Eggsy mumbled, thinking about how pretty Elaine looked. "This whole thing is a mess. I don't think I know how to distance myself from her."

He thought back to the moment between them, how he almost leaned in to kiss her, to wrap his arms around her.

Todd was silent for a moment.

"If you think it's the best thing you can do for her, you'll figure out a way to distance yourself."

Eggsy nodded, not that Todd's advise made him feel any better.

"Mr. Brown mentioned that Elaine is getting suspicious about the shop," Todd said, changing the subject.

"Already?" Eggsy said, his mind rolling over all the things that could go wrong with this plan. "I should have known she would call our bluff."

"Not quite. Mr. Brown said it wasn't anything too drastic; just skeptical looks and questions about certain policies."

Eggsy nodded.

"And you're not botching this up," Todd said after what looked like a moment of deliberation. "Would it help if I said you're in your head too much?"

"Maybe," Eggsy shrugged knowing Todd was right.

* * *

When Eggsy sat down in the conference room in HQ, he was sure he wouldn't be able to make it through without throwing a glass of water or pulling his hair out. Roxy glared at him five different times in the hour to try and make him stop tapping his foot. The other three times he was glared at was by Merlin for not paying attention. The discussion ranged from new recruitment to updated tech to a couple of French Curators staying in London for a couple of days.

Attempting to listen to the news without worrying about his own mission, his foot tapping and restlessness only got worse once the last subject came up.

"What are we going to do about her living arrangements?" Roxy asked. "If she's not in a safe house, she needs to be in a place that is more secure than where she's living now."

"What about the security team?" Kay suggested.

"Good, but not good enough," Bedivere said.

"I would imagine the best course of action is to keep her where she is," Percival said.

"Is that safe enough, though?" Merlin challenged.

"Evie's made her life even more endangered. We have to think about the possibility of Evie interfering with her safety, as well," Roxy brought up.

Eggsy looked over at Bedivere and saw his eyes darken at the sound of Evie's name. At least, Eggsy thought, he wasn't the only one suffering from a heavy heart.

"Callisto has known about Elaine's location for who knows how long. Maybe even as long as Evie was in the group," Eggsy said, leaning back in his hair and scowling out the window.

"That's why," Merlin said, "the best course will be posting a security detail back where they were until she is moved to a safer location. I want her moved into Kensington within the week. Galahad, you will be her handler."

Eggsy frowned but didn't say anything.

Merlin moved on to another mission at hand, primarily involving Kay and Gawain. Eggsy just put his worries to the back of his mind and tried to keep up with the details of missions he didn't care about.

After another tedious hour, Eggsy's fellow agents filtered out of the conference room and left only himself and Gawain.

"It looks like you have a heavy heart," Gawain said, walking around the table to sit by Eggsy.

"Yeah, I guess. Just wondering if I'm the best man for the job," Eggsy said.

Gawain nodded.

"What makes you think any different?"

"Because of how badly I messed up the last time I was supposed to protect her."

Gawain sighed, leaning back in his chair. Saying nothing, Eggsy spoke up again.

"I'm just… just worried about how bad the nuclear fallout will be once she remembers

everything."

"She's not a bomb, Galahad."

"Might as well be," Eggsy said. "We're uprooting her life; lying about everything she was before. We're making her think things that aren't true. Gawain, we're not just messing with her life, we're messing with her reality. How pissed would you be if you woke up tomorrow and learned that you've been manipulated into a life that isn't actually yours?"

Gawain looked away, tapping his fingers on the table in front of him.

"Pretty damn pissed."

Eggsy nodded and let the silence hang between them.

"What will you do?" Gawain asked.

Eggsy looked up towards the ceiling as if he would find answers or validation up there.

"Go along with the plan. It's the best course of action for her survival, so I'll do it. But when she's out of the woods with Callisto and her sister, I'll tell her everything."

Gawain stood up.

"I wish you the best of luck, Eggsy,"

Eggsy nodded.

True to his word, Eggsy followed the current plan. He showed up at the apartments in Greensboro and 8 o'clock sharp and scanned the street. Climbing the steps to the apartment across the street from Elaine's, the weight of the world seemed to settle on his shoulders. He didn't like this vulnerable feeling; the danger of having the other half of his heart out in the world and under fire. At times he wanted to be mad at Elaine. It was reckless of her to be waving the other half of his heart around so carelessly, but then again she had no memory of ever stealing his heart; it was sitting in her back pocket, forgotten, and there was no way Eggsy could steal it back.

Shaking his head before walking into the apartment-turned-surveillance-setup in which the security team sat, he took a deep breath; something he found himself doing often when Elaine was on his mind.

When he did eventually walk in, he only got a nod in acknowledgment.

"Nothing has happened," the agent on the tablet said, only looking up sparingly. "Stephanie called her about the move."

"How did she react?" Eggsy asked.

The agent put his foot against the chair next to him. Eggsy couldn't remember if his name was Jake or Jack.

"Surprised, but we went into her apartment before she got home from work and packed some things in boxes to stage a move in progress. She didn't question it when Stephanie told her, only asked for the new address and dates she needed to be out of this apartment and into the new one."

Eggsy nodded. A sick feeling settled in his stomach.

"Where is the other agent? Reynolds, right?" Eggsy asked, looking around the bleak, bare apartment.

The agent in front of Eggsy nodded.

"Michael had business at HQ, so it's just me."

Eggsy looked over the setup; a couple of chairs at a table with a computer, two guns, and a deck of cards. This was all that was protecting Elaine. That, and himself.

"I'll go over there," he said. "Keep me posted, though."

Jake or Jack or whatever his name was agreed.

* * *

Elaine was aimlessly walking around her apartment, staring at the boxes she had no memory of packing. The apartment was familiar. Well, perhaps familiar wasn't the right word, but she felt the shadow of memories cast over these walls. She could catch the outline of a memory, like washing dishes, or painting the picture on the wall by the sofa. The blue splotch on the wood floor by the sink was because of that painting. She also felt the absence of a little creature; a cat? Elaine knew herself well enough to know she loved cats, and she only hoped that wherever her forgotten pet was, they were safe. She remembered so many little, insignificant details; but the move wasn't one of them.

Her new landlord had called to tell her move-in date had changed due to her accident, and at least she could trust that she knew about the move previously; after all, she had packed these boxes now cluttering her apartment.

Elaine had just started packing up her dishes when a knock came at her door. Leaving the plate in her hands at the counter, Elaine walked to the door and peeked through the narrow window. She barely managed to see the wrist of a suit and a hand on a black umbrella.

"Gary?" Elaine greeted as she opened the door. The nervous look on his face made her smile.

"Hey," he said, his hand on the back of his neck.

Elaine opened the door wider. Feeling unsure of what to say, Elaine floundered for something to say when he spoke first.

"I heard you're moving," he said.

If Elaine weren't as conflicted, she would laugh at his unsure expression.

"I guess I am?" Elaine answered, leaning against the door and studying the man in front of her.

"Right, well," Eggsy started again. "I was just wondering if you needed any help."

Elaine paused. Her heart fluttered in her chest whenever she saw him and she didn't want to make a fool of herself, but she figured if Eggsy went out of his way to help her move and looked so nervous about it, his heart must be fluttering, too.

Nodding, Elaine held the door open.

"Actually, I do," she said, stepping out of the way to let him in.

Eggsy stepped in and stopped when he saw all the boxes.

"You're making good progress without my help." Eggsy turned one of the boxes around.

"Yeah," Elaine said, sitting on the arm of her couch. "Must have done all this before the accident. But what's weird is that I didn't label any of the boxes, which doesn't sound like me."

Eggsy searched her eyes for any skepticism or suspicion, but he found only confusion. Leaving the box, Eggsy stepped over another one to sit by Elaine.

"How can I help?" Eggsy said.

Elaine smiled. Despite all of the uncertainty drowning her, she was sure that she wanted him here.

"Dishes."

"Dishes," Eggsy nodded.

After packing a good portion of dishes and pans; Elaine wrapping them in newspaper and Eggsy packing them in boxes, they took a break. Elaine sat on the counter as Eggsy ate a handful of popcorn.

"Tell me what's actually wrong, though," Eggsy said, finishing his popcorn and passing the bowl to Elaine.

"Just… everything, I guess?" Elaine shrugged, taking the bowl and eating her own handful only to hand it back to him.

Eggsy took the bowl but didn't eat out of it. Instead, he just set it aside and stared at her. Elaine raised an eyebrow. She waited another moment for him to break the stare. But he didn't.

"Stop that," Elaine said.

"Stop what?" Eggsy said, playing dumb.

"That," Elaine said, motioning to his eyes that seemed to x-ray through her. And obviously, she couldn't tell him how he was making her heart race for no apparent reason.

Eggsy just squinted his eyes and said nothing.

Elaine didn't want to laugh, but she was ashamed to say he made the corners of her lips twitch up.

"I'm just… I don't know… confused," Elaine said, picking up a dish by her hands and absentmindedly wrapped it in paper.

"About?" Eggsy asked, his x-ray eyes no longer scanning her.

Elaine shrugged.

"Hey," Eggsy bumped her foot with his own. "You can talk to me."

Elaine nodded, looking down at the dish she was wrapping. The thought seemed silly in her brain, all these doubts.

"It just seems like this is the first time hearing about my move. Which, I know, sounds stupid since I got all the memories knocked out of me."

He turned the popcorn bowl around in his hands.

"Doesn't sound stupid," Eggsy said, looking away.

Elaine scoffed.

"It does to me," she said, putting down the wrapped dish and reaching for another one. Eggsy stood up and took the dish out of her hands. Still sitting on the counter, Elaine wrapped her arms around herself and pulled at the sides of her sweater. "It just seems like something isn't right. Like this move and the unlabeled boxes, and… everything. Sometimes even Savile Row seems weird; like I'm not supposed to be there. I mean, I guess nothing is right," she paused. "All I know for sure was that car crash, laying on the road. It was snowing that night. Just for a moment, I think."

Eggsy watched her confusion morph into sadness, verging on fear. A cold, distant look settled into her eyes and he saw her start to shut down. Deciding staying in her apartment that she never intended to move out of was a bad idea, Eggsy put his hands on the counter at either side of her.

"We are going out," he said. Grabbing her waist, he pulled her off the counter and onto her feet.

She was caught off guard and Eggsy worried for a moment he'd overstepped his boundaries, but the distant look in Elaine's eyes turned to ease. But the lightness in her eyes dimmed for a moment as she looked around the disarray around her.

"Leave now? I still have so much to pack and the apartment is basically a disaster," she protested, motioning to all the dishes stacked at her counter and the pile of clothes in her living room.

"Nope," Eggsy said, gently pushing Elaine out of the kitchen. "Sorry, love, but you need a break."

Sighing, Elaine let him win.

"Fine. Where are we going?" Elaine asked, slipping on her boots and pulling on her jacket.

"How about an art museum?" Eggsy said.

Eggsy put on his overcoat and opened the door for her.

"Really?" Elaine smiled. "I would love that!"

Secretly, Elaine thought about how men took women to art museums to impress them. Eggsy was thinking about how art museums would be a good place to hide from bullets.

* * *

Walking to the museum, Elaine watched Eggsy.

"Were you helping me move before the accident?" Elaine asked.

Eggsy hesitated.

"Yes," he said, only for the lack of knowing how to lie to her. Distancing himself, he'd begun to realize, was not something he was good at.

Elaine bumped his shoulder.

"Thanks for helping me before. And thanks for helping me now," Elaine said. "You must be a very good friend to have helped me out. Both then and now."

Eggsy got the hint that Elaine was trying to figure out exactly where they stood. But he was resolute. Barely acquaintances.

"It's what a gentleman does," Eggsy shrugged, his eyes remaining forward. In his peripheral vision, he saw Elaine look at him curiously. "And here we are."

They came to the art museum and Eggsy was grateful that Elaine's inquisitive eyes were no longer focused on him.

* * *

Eggsy looked back again at Elaine. She was being led around the exhibit by one of the French curators. He seemed okay; always leaving a foot or two between himself and Elaine, smiled nicely when Elaine asked him questions. Eggsy had never seen him before so he was reluctant to leave him alone with Elaine, but talking to Lukas was the priority at the moment.

"Lukas," Eggsy greeted, walking up to him as he admired a painting. "That's one of you're guys, right?"

Eggsy motioned towards the man guiding Elaine around the exhibit.

"Oui, Jonas is one of mine. She'll be fine with him," Lukas assured quietly, studying Eggsy. "I heard what happened to her. To Elaine."

Eggsy said nothing, just turned away from Elaine's direction and looked at the piece Lukas was admiring. He didn't really see the appeal of modern art, but Elaine liked it, so it was a nice place to escape to.

"She's on the mend," Eggsy said.

"What happens once she's mended?" Lukas asked, carefully approaching his words. "You cannot string her along like this. Not again."

"You don't think I know that?" Eggsy hissed. "I'm just trying to keep her alive through this."

Lukas said nothing, only turned to watch Elaine and Jonas.

"She'll be safe with me if you ever have the need," Lukas said.

Eggsy's shoulders dropped the tension he didn't know he was carrying.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "Hopefully I'm just being paranoid. And the other Kingsmen are doing everything they can, but…"

"But, in this line of work, precautions are an unfortunate necessity," Lukas nodded, his gray eyes morose.

"Thank you, Lukas."

The Frenchman nodded.

The two men staring at a painting neither of them understood didn't know the terrors that would soon befall them. The unfortunate precaution was a safety net Eggsy would be thankful for in the days to come.

* * *

When Eggsy dropped Elaine off at her apartment, he stood at the bottom of the steps leading to her door. She had turned around and held his gaze. Time stopped for him. She had waited for him to speak, to follow her up the steps, to stay and return to the way they were even though she had no memory of how they were before.

Clearing his throat, he said goodnight and turned away, unable to miss the disappointment in Elaine's eyes.

Instead of going back to his place in Kensington, Eggsy instead walked across the street to the apartment facing hers. Knowing he had no sleepwear, nor a toothbrush, he fully intended on staking his place and watching over her throughout the night.

* * *

Unaware that Eggsy was camped out in the apartment across the street and that it pained him not to follow her up to her own apartment, Elaine walked into her darkened entryway and kicked her shoes off; defeated.

"I don't even know what he wants!" Elaine groaned. She didn't know why, but she was fully expecting four furry paws to come trotting towards her, mewling.

Ignoring the tugging sensation at the back of her brain, Elaine went to her couch, purse in hand and pulled out her phone. Falling into the cushion, she put her feet up on one of the half-packed boxes in front of her.

The phone rang two times before someone picked up.

"You're finally awake!" Maisey said over the line.

A wave of guilt washed over Elaine. Honestly, she had only considered tonight that Maisey had probably heard about the accident and was worried sick.

"Yeah, I'm so sorry, I should have called you the moment I woke up, but I've been in this weird therapy center and…"

"Of course! Don't think I'm mad at you," Maisey said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. "I was so worried and when I flew over there you looked so pale… like you were gone…"

Maisey cut off when her voice cracked.

"I'm fine, Mais," Elaine said.

Elaine heard Maisey blow her nose and sniffle through the connection.

"I'll fly over there again," Maisey said, her voice stuffy.

"No, I promise, I'm fine now," Elaine said, pulling her legs below her, the cardboard box now had a dent where her feet were.

"Sure," Maisey said, unconvinced.

From what Elaine knew of her best friend, Maisey was probably looking up tickets as they spoke. Trying to convince her, Elaine spewed some nonsense about how she had gone for a run she didn't actually go on.

"Are you sure you're fine, though?" Maisey asked. "Ellie, that crash was brutal."

Elaine hesitated, picking at the frayed seams of the couch below her. Every time the crash was mentioned, a thick metallic taste filled her mouth.

"I know," Elaine said, recognizing the irony of the situation. "That crash is about the only thing I remember."

"What do you mean?" Maisey said, her voice quieter.

Elaine hesitated again, pulling the frayed seam off the couch with a nervous tug.

"My memory has kinda gone incognito after the crash. I don't remember anything since… I don't know…" Elaine searched her brain, a little scared of how tiring it was to do so. "Since I bought the ticket to London after Evie's botched wedding."

"That was over a year ago," Maisey said, her voice coming through the phone connection quiet and unsure.

Elaine brushed off any insecurity, doubt, or fear that nagged at her mind and instead thought of brighter things.

"That's life, I guess," Elaine shrugged. "And talking about how unfair it is will only make me feel worse, so catch me up on everything so I can return to the land of the living."

Elaine's consolation seemed to cheer Maisey up. Without much more hesitation, Elaine's best friend was talking a mile a minute about embarrassing stories and how her family was and Daniel and every nuanced thing that seemed to pop into Maisey's head.

"I've missed you," Maisey said. "A girl can't survive in this world without her basic bitch to complain to."

Elaine laughed, moving her feet to the cardboard box in front of her again.

"What about Jenny? She's a basic bitch," Elaine said, stuffing her mouth with the popcorn left behind when Gary was over. She shifted, holding her phone between her shoulder and ear as she shook the bowl.

Maisey gagged.

"If our lives were Gilmore Girls, Jenny is Madeline."

"Who am I?" Elaine asked through a mouthful of popcorn.

"Rory, obviously. Except you're running after Chanel and Givenchy, not politics."

"And you're Paris?" Elaine clarified.

"Obviously. So, it makes sense that Jenny is orbiting me like a little fruit fly."

Elaine scoffed.

"You're meaner than usual," she observed.

"Ugh, she's driving me crazy. I knew it was a mistake to ask her to plan my bachelorette party," Maisey choked at the end of her sentence as if she knew she made a mistake.

The handful of popcorn that Elaine brought up to her mouth froze. Dropping it back in the bowl, Elaine tried to remember if she heard Maisey right.

"Bachelorette party?" Elaine asked.

There was a telling pause on the other end of the connection.

"I didn't want to throw everything on you at once," Maisey said.

"You're getting married?" Elaine clarified, her heart sinking and raising at the same time. Of all the wonderful things, Maisey was finally tying the knot with Daniel… and Elaine missed valuable time in the life of her best friend.

"I told you before you got hurt. I flew to London, asked you to be my maid of honor," Maisey sounded deflated. "Daniel proposed to me last August, and I visited you shortly after that. The wedding is this March. It's on the 10th."

"So soon?" Elaine said, her heart falling. She'd missed the dress shopping, the fittings, the planning brunches, the bridesmaid dress drama, bridezilla moments for blackmail. Everything Elaine should have been there for, she was absent. Shaking away the disappointed tears that were threatening to fall, Elaine put on a smile Maisey wouldn't be able to see. "I'm definitely coming back for your wedding, then."

"My bachelorette party is this weekend! Come back for that!" Maisey nearly yelled through the phone. "And I know you'll yell at me for this, but I haven't gotten my dress tailored yet and-"

"Maisey!" Elaine shook her head. She would be speechless, but the need to tell Maisey how stupid she was outweighed her shock. "Your wedding is under a month away! Like, two and a half weeks away! What the hell are you thinking?"

"I know! Everyone has been nagging me about it, but I just had it in my head that you were going to do it and I cried every time I made an appointment with someone who wasn't you."

Elaine sobered, her shock at Maisey's stupidity dissipating.

"Mais," Elaine said, quieter.

"I won't be happy with my dress if anyone but you tailors it," Maisey said. "And besides, the dress doesn't have any beading or lace so it'll be easy-peasy."

Elaine recognized that tone. Maisey was resolute and she was going to get her way or raise hell. Sighing, Elaine gave in.

"I'll be there for the party and the wedding, and I'll tailor your dress. And even though I love that you want me to tailor it for you, it was sheer stupidity to wait for me."

"I knew it would all work out," Maisey said.

Elaine smiled.

"So catch me up on your life. Is that cute brit still in love with you?"

"What?"

"You know, blond guy who always wears suits and carries around an umbrella even on sunny days."

"You mean Gary?"

"Yes? Doesn't he go by some stupid nickname though? Like egghead or something."

Elaine paused, another memory tugging at her.

"Um, yeah. He's still around, but I'm pretty sure he's not in love with me. He said we're acquaintances."

"Acquaintances that run off to Paris together?" Maisey said.

Elaine chewed her lip, Eggsy said they were just friends, but the way her heart stopped when he walked into a room, how he seemed to lean towards her when they talked, Elaine knew he was something more. Somehow, she knew exactly what his lips felt like on hers, how good it felt to have his arms wrapped around her waist, fingers twisted in her hair.

Elaine cleared her throat when certain thoughts were getting too surreal.

"All I know is that he said there's nothing between us," Elaine shrugged, trying to ignore the bubbles of hope in her stomach.

"Maybe. Or maybe he doesn't want to throw everything on you at once?"

Elaine thought about this, but couldn't decide what to do about it. Should she confront him? Lay low and just be friends?

Pushing the matter aside, Elaine and Maisey wrapped up the call after talking about the little odds and ends that popped into their minds.

* * *

The next day, after Elaine had worked the full day at the tailor shop, she lingered, hoping to see Gary. Mr. Brown was cleaning in the accessories room, so she decided she could do some picking up as well. Inventory, ordering, labeling, she didn't spend too much time on the menial tasks before she heard Gary walk into the shop.

Mr. Brown stepped out of the accessories room to say a greeting to him but disappeared immediately after.

"Gary," Elaine called, catching him just as he pushed open the front door.

He paused and looked back, his tired eyes warming a little as he looked at her.

"Hey," he said, dropping his hand from the door. "How's the life of a tailor?"

"Fabric purchaser," Elaine corrected, taking a few steps towards him. "It's good. Mr. Brown told me we're going to a convention on Wednesday, which is daunting but exciting."

Gary nodded and smiled.

Deciding to dive right into the question, Elaine took another step towards him. Maisey said he was in love with her, and if he was scared of throwing everything at her, he shouldn't be.

"Do you want to get coffee sometime?" Elaine asked, fully expecting him to glow.

What she wasn't expecting was his warm eyes to turn distant, for him to back away from her.

"My schedule is pretty busy. I don't think I have time."

In an instant, Gary had put up a wall. Businesslike and taciturn, Elaine knew instantly she had made a mistake. Maisey was wrong.

"Of course," Elaine nodded.

Gary opened his mouth to say something, but instead, he just closed it and walked out of the shop.

Defeated, Elaine packed up and left, ignoring her deflating heart.


End file.
